MVB: Talent, grit recognized in CW all-star voting

CALGARY — Two teams that have shared a top-tier rivalry are again evenly matched. Both the Alberta Golden Bears and Trinity Western Spartans see two selections to the first-team all-star roster, released by the conference Tuesday.

The top team in Canada West and the country, the Alberta Golden Bears, see powerhouse hitter, Jordan Canham named to the first team. He's joined by his teammate, defensive guru Landon Currie. The duo of Brodie Hofer and Jesse Elser headline the selections for Trinity Western. The athletes boast the two highest hitting percentages in the country.

Saskatchewan's Dylan Mortensen has also earned a spot after a phenomenal season that saw him break career conference records for points and kills.

Rounding out the conference's elite are Mount Royal's Chris Byam and UBC's Matt Neaves, whose fantastic seasons propelled their teams to second and fifth-place regular season finishes respectively.

All-star selections are a family affair for the Elsers, with Jesse's brother Mathias making the second team. Fellow third-year, Nimo Benne (Fraser Valley) returns to the all-star line-up after getting an all-rookie designation two seasons ago. This is Jacob van Geel's first time earning the honour after he helped his Mount Royal Cougars outperform the storied Trinity Western Spartans in the regular season.

Winnipeg libero Darian Picklyk has also made the second team after leading the conference in digs per set (2.22). He's joined by Lincoln Baines (Calgary) and Philipp Lauter (Brandon) who both averaged better than a block per set in strong seasons of their own. Rounding out the team is Levi Olson of Saskatchewan, making his first all-star appearance after helping the Huskies to a 17-7 record entering the postseason.

Manitoba's Jordon Heppner headlines the all-rookie squad. His power from the middle pushed his Bisons to a playoff berth. He's joined by UBC's Conaire Taub and Trinity Western's Anselm Rein, both of whom made huge impacts for their top-five teams right away. UBCO's Seba Manuel is the team's sole selection. The rookie averaged nearly two kills per set while leading his team in service aces. Another outstanding hitter, Jacob Sargent (Alberta) earns a nod, as well as Calgary setter Zach Durrant, an all-around talent and centrepiece for the Dinos moving forward. Rounding out the selections is Ethan Smith, Saskatchewan's libero who put up 135 digs on the year.

POSITION / NAME / UNIVERSITY / YEAR / PROGRAM / HOMETOWN

1st Team All Stars

OH / Jordan Canham / Alberta / 4 / Education / Avonmore, ON

OH / Dylan Mortensen / Saskatchewan / 5 / Business / Swift Current, SK

OH / Chris Byam / Mount Royal / 3 / Health & Phys. Ed. / Bow Island, AB

OH / Brodie Hofer / Trinity Western / 4 / Business / Langley, BC

OH / Matthew Neaves / British Columbia / 4 / Business / Calgary, AB

OH / Jesse Elser / Trinity Western / 4 / Education / Calgary, AB

L / Landon Currie / Alberta / 5 / Business / Vernon, BC

POSITION / NAME / UNIVERSITY / YEAR / PROGRAM / HOMETOWN

2nd Team All Stars

M / Philipp Lauter / Brandon / 2 / Music / Wiesbaden, Germany

OH / Jacob van Geel / Mount Royal / 3 / Business / Calgary, AB

L / Darian Picklyk / Winnipeg / 5 / Business and Administration / Springfield, MB

M / Lincoln Baines / Calgary / 4 / Business / Calgary, AB

OH / Levi Olson / Saskatchewan / 5 / Engineering / Saskatoon, SK

OH / Nimo Benne / Fraser Valley / 3 / Computing Science / Castricum, The Netherlands

OH/S / Mathias Elser / Trinity Western / 3 / Business / Calgary, AB

POSITION / NAME / UNIVERSITY / YEAR / PROGRAM / HOMETOWN

All Rookie Team

M / Jordon Heppner / Manitoba / 1 / University One / Winnipeg, MB

OH / Conaire Taub / British Columbia / 1 / Kinesiology / Calgary, AB

OH / Seba Manuel / UBC Okanagan / 1 / Health & Exercise Sciences / Kelowna, BC

S / Anselm Rein / Trinity Western / 1 / Biology / Calgary, AB

S / Zack Durrant / Calgary / 1 / Kinesiology / Calgary, AB

OH / Jacob Sargent / Alberta / 1 / Kinesiology, Sport & Rec. / Lethbridge, AB

L / Ethan Smith / Saskatchewan / 1 / Kinesiology / Prince Albert, SK

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MEN'S ALL-STARS AND ALL-ROOKIES BY TEAM

School / First Team / Second Team / All-Rookies = TOTAL