By Vanessa Broadbent (The Cascade) – Email
For the second time in its history, one of the UFV Cascades men’s volleyball team’s players has been named a Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) All-Canadian.
This season was one of Adam Chaplin’s best — he finished seventh in the PacWest conference in total offence, seventh in kills, and second in aces. Although this is the first time that a graduating fifth-year player has been named an All-Canadian, it isn’t Chaplin’s first award. The left side was also named a PacWest first team all-star earlier this season.
“It’s pretty huge for me,” Chaplin says. “I haven’t really got many awards throughout my years here and this year was big for me … to find out that I got this All-Canadian was a good surprise.”
For Chaplin, the decision to come to UFV was an easy one.
“I’ve always loved UFV and that’s why I came here,” he says. “It’s close to home, the schooling really fit me, and it just seemed like a perfect fit, and still has been.”
After five seasons with the team, Chaplin has had his fair share of memories, one of his favourites being his first win against Vancouver Island University.
“We won by two points, so it was the closest game possible,” he says. “It was in the fifth set and we were down 5-9 at one point … We battled back and ended up winning. That was definitely probably the biggest highlight of the season for me.”
Although this season was Chaplin’s last year of eligibility, he plans to continue playing professionally in Europe after graduation.
“I don’t really see myself as being done,” he says. “Throughout the season I had a bunch of people talk to me and say, ‘Why don’t you try?’ I guess my mind has been swayed now and I’m looking to play pro overseas.”
Being a student athlete requires discipline and dedication, something Chaplin says sticks out after five years in the program.
“The times that I’ve had here at UFV have been great and I will miss that, but I would say it is a lot of work,” he says. “You [have to] devote that time and be serious about things.”
