Abbotsford – Nine University of the Fraser Valley volleyball players have been honoured by their provincial and national governing bodies for academic achievement in 2019-20.
Amanda Matsui of the Cascades women’s volleyball team has been named a Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Academic All-Canadian. The CCAA’s most prestigious student-athlete honour requires excellence in both athletic and academic pursuits – recipients must earn conference all-star recognition, along with honours standing at their university in the most recent academic term. Matsui, a third-year left side from Port Coquitlam, was a PACWEST second team all-star in 2019-20.
Additionally, eight Cascades have met the standard for the PACWEST conference’s Academic Excellence Award. To be recognized, a student-athlete must have achieved honours standing or equivalent at their institution. Cumulative GPA is based on a minimum of 27 credits – the previous year’s courses along with those completed in the September-December semester.
UFV’s Academic Excellence Award recipients are Dylan Neudorf, Justin Peleshytyk, Landon Uy and Graham Walkey from the men’s volleyball squad, and Alysha Cooper, Lexi Edwards, Karissa Marazzi and Kristen McBride from women’s volleyball.
“We’re extremely proud of these athletes’ hard work in the classroom,” said Steve Tuckwood, UFV director of athletics and campus recreation. “It’s inspiring to see their commitment to becoming well-rounded individuals who epitomize the student-athlete ideal.”
The UFV volleyball teams are set to make their Canada West/U SPORTS debut this fall, moving up to the nation’s top level of post-secondary sport competition after 18 seasons in the PACWEST/CCAA.
