Fraser Valley's Gabrielle Attieh named CW Player of the Year

CALGARY - Fraser Valley's Gabrielle Attieh has been named the 2023 Canada West Women's Volleyball Player of the Year, the conference announced Thursday.

Attieh's dominant individual performance took the conference by storm this season. She shares the major award winner stage with selections from the Manitoba Bisons, Winnipeg Wesmen, UBC Thunderbirds and Saskatchewan Huskies.

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All award-winners are decided upon by coaches' vote.

PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Gabrielle Attieh

Gabrielle Attieh earns the prestigious Canada West Player of the Year award in a history-making fashion. The outside hitter becomes the first-ever Fraser Valley volleyball player to win a major award.

Attieh brought esteem to a team that's seeing just its second season of Canada West action. She was a contender for Player of the Week nearly every weekend, putting together astronomical individual statistics. She led the conference in kills per set (4.34), a wide margin over the next highest swinger who posted 3.80.

An extremely smart and athletic player, Attieh seem to always know where to be and what to do to make the most of every play. Her technical skills are elite. She's the kind of player that opponents were forced to track and limit just as much as they could in order to stand a chance.

As good a hitter she was, Attieh was just as strong defensively, playing as though she was en elite libero at times. She finished seventh in the conference in digs with 292 on the season.

She was first in the nation in points (458.5), and convincingly first in the conference in points per set (4.9), showing her value night in and night out.

“She brings a massive amount of leadership to our team, – and wisdom and experience – I think that her presence in the U SPORTS league makes our league, and all of our teams stronger. She played a brand-new position this year and had a lot of success. The last time she appeared in Canada West Gabby played the middle blocker position and it’s a massive change to left side, but, she’s tremendous at reading the game. She really surprised me at how well she read the attackers and the scenarios to put herself in the best position to make a defensive play. Gabby did an excellent job of buying in to what it means to be a Cascade and what we are trying to build here. She’s the one who is going to be pushing you in the weight room and she’s on track to be an academic all-Canadian, so she was a really great example to our team in that she’s not just a good volleyball player, but a well-rounded student-athlete, and person.”
​-Janelle Rozema, Head Coach, Fraser Valley Cascades

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Raya Surinx

Raya Surinx earns the CW Rookie of the Year award after a stellar season that saw her excel in a major role right away. The Manitoba Bison helped propel her team to a sixth-place finish with her athleticism and power on the outside.

The Winnipeg, MB product boasts a 30-plus inch vertical leap, though boasting does not seem to be a concept Surinx is familiar with. The rookie quietly and seriously works on her craft, showing a very high ceiling on her already impressive skill set.

Surinx finished fourth in the conference in two categories this season: points-per-set (4.2) and kills per set (3.49), making her presence widely known and respected. She also posted the third-most service aces (44), proving her lethal swing from all over the court.

Surinx's defence has steadily improved as the season wore on and she was a big factor in the Bisons' strong second half.

“Raya has had an outstanding rookie season. She’s been incredibly consistent from the start of the season right through to the playoffs. Aside from the stat sheet, Raya is just a great, hard-working kid who loves volleyball and we are all really fortunate to have her with our program.”
​-Ken Bentley, Head Coach, Manitoba Bisons

LIBERO OF THE YEAR: Kacey Jost

Kacey Jost has earned the CW Libero of the Year award after grinding it out all season to help her UBC Thunderbirds to a third-place finish.

Jost averaged 4.01 digs per set this season, showing her sound fundamentals and hustle on the defensive side. Her play was the definition of near-perfect. Despite posting 337 digs on the year, she limited mistakes to just 18.

Jost played in every match for the Thunderbirds, putting her body on the line to get to any ball she could. She was a major part of her team's outstanding defence. The Thunderbirds posted a .130 opponent hitting percentage.

Out of 84 sets through the regular season, she only gave up 18 aces which given the volume of play and strength of opposition serving, is highly impressive.

Kacey was named to Volleyball Canada’s NextGen team last year.

“Kacey without question anchored our passing and our back court play throughout the season. Defensively, she was critical to team success and she does a terrific job managing all our patterns in a key aspect of the game. She has a big heart and she’s always wiling to lend an ear or a hand to a teammate when they need it. She’s very invested in her teammates. On the court and off the court she brings competitiveness, she comes to practice to get better. She asks questions and is always learning and that rubs off on her teammates, she can up the level of practices and makes everyone around her better.” ​
​- Doug Reimer, Head Coach, UBC Thunderbirds

STUDENT-ATHLETE COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARD: Averie Allard

Averie Allard has earned the Student-Athlete Community Service Award. The fourth-year Winnipeg product truly makes a difference in every community she's part of. Allard is the starting setter for the Huskies program, averaging 7.6 assists per set. In addition to running the Huskies' offence, she played a major role in their defence with a stellar 228 digs and 56 blocks.

Allard posted a 78 per cent average in her education studies, showing her excellence in the classroom. That translated to her student-teaching classroom, where she made a clear impact on her students. A big crew from her class showed up to support their beloved teacher every home game.

Allard's impact extends beyond her studies and team. Despite her already heavy commitments, she dedicates a lot of time to the Waanishka movement. A leader there, she helps create opportunities for Indigenous youth to grow through literature and cultural teachings. ​

Allard has also been instrumental in starting two new groups within Huskie Athletics. One is an Indigenous athletic group that brings student-athletes together to create a better space within the program. The other focuses on helping athletics admin better connect with the Indigenous community.

Her impact will be felt on her community for a long time.

Allard has signed a professional contract for next season with Vero Volley in Milan, Italy.

"I am so proud of Averie for the impact she has had in the community, excelling in the classroom and for being one of our leaders in the gym since day one. Her support of the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women movement has made an impact across our province, raising awareness, and encouraging young people to follow in her footsteps. She also broke new ground on the USask campus by helping to create a focus group that aims at connecting with the Indigenous community. Averie is incredibly well rounded and leaves an impressive legacy on our program and on Huskie Athletics."
​-Mark Dodds, Head Coach, Saskatchewan Huskies

COACH OF THE YEAR: Phil Hudson

Phil Hudson has been named the Coach of the Year in just his third season as the head coach of the Wesmen. Hudson led his team to a stellar 18-6 record this season and home court advantage for the CW playoffs. It was the program's best season in nearly 20 years.

Hudson's coaching ability has allowed him to get the most out of his athletes, leading a truly team effort that has turned heads across the west. The Wesmen went into the season ranked 11th in the coaches' poll, but, under Hudson's tutelage, surged past opponents' expectations to finish fourth.

"This is a tremendous — and deserved — reward for a truly amazing coach and person. True to his personality, the fact his team qualified for the Canada West final four will bring him more joy than any award. He is revered by his athletes and our department, and I am delighted he has been recognized by the conference."
​- Dave Crook, Director of Athletics, Winnipeg Wesmen