Phil Yeldon was a key player in the Thunder's OCAA East Division Championship Photo: Cassie Dresch
Editors notes: Writer Ian MacAlpine is a second-year Journalism student at Algonquin College and was a OCAA Second Team All-Star
It’s not the title he hoped to be walking away with after the weekend but it’s still one he’s pretty proud of.
Though his Algonquin Thunder team didn’t win gold, Phil Yeldon was named Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) All-Canadian and Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) men’s volleyball player of the year.
“Phil represents everything our program strives to be,” said Jeffrey Mooney, head coach of the Thunder. “He is a leader who is not only able to get the best out of himself but an ability to get the best from him teammates.”
The award marked the first time in Algonquin College history that the Thunder have had a men’s volleyball All-Canadian.
“It was an honor to be named player of the year and to be the first All-Canadian for the volleyball program at Algonquin,” said Yeldon. “A lot of credit goes to my coaches and teammates for helping me throughout the year.”
Yeldon was also named an OCAA Eastern Division First-Team All-Star.
“To have him receive this great honour helps anchor what our program stands for and the quality athletes we have had in the past, present and will continue to attract in the future,” said Mooney.
The fourth-year left-side attacker led the OCAA averaging 5.1 points per set. He totaled 374 points on 270 kills, 48 blocks and a league leading 56 aces while leading his team to a 17-3 record, good for first place in the Eastern Division.
“He brought consistent power and stability to our offence,” said Alex Oneid, captain of the Thunder. “He produced results no matter the pressure put on him.”
Home Court Advantage is a recurring series that focuses on the court, environment and playing conditions on men's and women's volleyball courts around the country. In this, the first post of the series, we will be focusing on Seneca College's gymnasium.
The Seneca Sting volleyball home court
The men's and women's volleyball teams for Seneca College practice and play on the school's Newnham Campus, located in Northern Toronto near Finch Ave East and HWY 404. While the school does have six campuses and four "community campuses", Newnham is the main campus and hosts the primary athletics facilities.
More after the jump.
It's been a full season of competition for Ontario colleges, and now it's time to crown a single champion for the men and women. The format of their finals looks more like a weekend tournament than a playoff bracket. Starting on Thursday, eight teams will remain in each category, and will play a quarter-final match up. The winners of Thursday's event will play the semi-finals on Friday, and the eventual gold medal match will be decided on Saturday, February 26th.
Full breakdown of which teams will play in direct competition, and information on both men and women, continue after the jump: