Charles Parkinson is big on expectations for his 2017-18 Camosun Chargers men鈥檚 volleyball season.
Big as in the veteran head coach can throw out plenty of size as it begins its Pacwest season tonight at 8 on home court at Pacific Institute for Sports Excellence gym against rivals the Vancouver Island University Mariners after the Chargers鈥� women鈥檚 team opens at 6 p.m.
The two Island teams will do it all again on Saturday at 1 and 3 p.m.
Parkinson already has the benefit of playing host to the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association national championship from March 8-10, 2018.
The Chargers, who have won three straight Pacwest crowns, includes a mixture of returning veterans and talented newcomers who could measure up to be the biggest team in the league, offered Parkinson.
鈥淔ans can expect to see a different team than they have seen before,鈥� he said in describing his revamped squad. 鈥淲e have a lot of height that we can put on the floor at any one time.
鈥淥ur front row, at times, can be six-foot-seven, six-foot-six and six-foot-five so we are going to be very much of a serve-block team. We鈥檝e been training quite a bit on really putting difficult serves in that take options away and forces the other team to put a high ball up so we can allow our block to go to work.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a little different from the way we have played in the past, but it doesn鈥檛 mean that we鈥檙e moving away from our previous style which was to really play some tenacious defence and score in transition. We鈥檙e just adding new dimensions because of the size we have.鈥�
Veterans Doug Waterman (fourth-year middle) and fifth-years Elion Wong (libero) and Rian Plante (right side) will provide leadership. Winnipeg transfer Mack Mravnik joins the team as a third-year and Oak Bay standout Cole Beevor-Potts is back as a second-year.
Other second-years include Denis Candell (setter out of Pacific Christian), right-side Morgan Humphreys (of Reynolds) and Ontario native Matt Bowers (left side), who was a Pacwest all-rookie team member last season. Third-years, Jerome Cross and Spencer Janzen, round out the returnees.
Newcomers include Nick Martin of Perth, Australia, Dale MacDonnell of Pacific Christian and Claremont鈥檚 Lorenz Vogel.
Parkinson has also added assistant coaches Gord and Andrew Inglis, a father and son team, and Joshua Kirkham enters the fray from Mount Royal College in Calgary.
The women鈥檚 program also features a coaching change at the top as former Chargers player Brent Hall takes over as head coach with former head man Chris Dahl moving to a full-time position with Volleyball sa国际传媒 as director of coach development.
Dahl, who led the Chargers to a silver medal at last year鈥檚 CCAA nationals at Camosun, remains on as an assistant.
鈥淲e have a young group this year,鈥� said Hall, who helped Camosun win back-to-back provincial men鈥檚 championship titles in 2009 and 2010. 鈥淚t鈥檚 been great to see our veterans embrace leadership roles as our rookies adjust to life as Camosun student-athletes.
鈥淚鈥檓 continually impressed with the level of competitive drive and commitment to progress that shows up to the gym every day. We are improving consistently and I expect that trend will continue. Time will tell how things shape up but we are ready to exit the pre-season and get competing.鈥�
Returning players include Megan Ireland (middle), Jordan Lilley (libero), Stephanie Galitzine (outside hitter), Allie Waddell (outside) and setter Katie Wayling.
Joining the team as rookies are Grace Kazanowski (Stelly鈥檚), Lauren Montgomery-Stinson (Claremont), Mount Douglas grads Jessica Lane and Kyra Schroder, Correina McNeice (Terrace), Samantha Scott (Vernon), and Kamloops natives Rayelle Zacharuk and Ashley Evin.
鈥淚鈥檓 anticipating an upward trajectory for us,鈥� said Hall. 鈥淲ith a new look to the starting lineup this year we may require patience through the first half of the season, but I expect the win column will outweigh the losses overall.鈥�
