University of the Fraser Valley men’s volleyball standout Joel Kleingeltink wrapped up his senior season by collecting a prestigious award on Wednesday evening, as he was named a CCAA All-Canadian.
Kleingeltink becomes the third Cascades men’s volleyball player to be voted to the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association’s national all-star squad, and the second in two years. Preceding him as CCAA All-Canadians were Derek Fletcher (2008 and 2009) and Adam Chaplin (2016).
The high-flying right side from Langley, B.C. had a phenomenal fifth year with the Cascades, ranking among the top five in the PACWEST conference in total offence (328 points, third), blocks (55, third), aces (33, fourth) and kills (240, fifth). He also finished second in total offence on a per-set basis (4.05 points) and was recognized as a PACWEST first team all-star for the first time. He’d been named a conference second team all-star the previous two seasons.
Kleingeltink led the Cascades to a 17-7 record in PACWEST play, good for second place, and the team spent 12 of a possible 13 weeks in the CCAA national rankings, peaking at No. 6.
“He’s truly earned this honour, and I’m proud of all he’s been able to accomplish in the three years I’ve been able to coach him,” UFV head coach Kyle Donen said, reflecting on Kleingeltink’s All-Canadian nod. “I put him in a starting role in my first year, and he really hasn’t looked back – he’s strived to be better every year. He’s worked incredibly hard to get to where he is, and his presence off the floor is just as important to our team as his presence on the floor. It’s what makes him who he is.
“I can only hope we have more players like Joel in the future of our program.”
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