The Saints Women’s Volleyball Team is heading into the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) playoffs after winning the western conference riding a high, with a number of players receiving major accolades from the OCAA.
The team compiled a 14-2 record through the regular season, well-positioned heading into the playoffs – but Head Coach Julie-Ann Milling says the ultimate goal still lies ahead.
“Our goal has been a gold medal,” said Coach Milling. “Being the west division champs, there’s more pressure with that to be successful, but our girls have handled pressure really well this year.”
The team is optimistic, currently ranked seventh in Canada. Its first post-season challenge comes this weekend with a quarter-final match up against Canadore, which finished the regular season ranked fourth in the east. The game will be at St. Clair’s SportsPlex at 7 p.m., and Coach Milling is hoping fans will pack the plex.
With a win, the Saints can punch their ticket to the final four playoffs and a chance at OCAA Gold.
“St. Clair's program should always be striving for a gold medal with where the program has grown,” Coach Milling said. “I think we have the right tools and players and the depth of making changes to still feel like we can win a match, even when we're maybe struggling.”
The players which helped get the team to the top of the west are also being recognized, with the OCAA awarding a laundry list of accolades to Saints this week.
Kiana Huggins was named the OCAA Player of the Year, First-Team All-Star, and CCAA All-Canadian for the third time in her illustrious career.
The fifth-year outside hitter is the west division scoring champion, averaging 4.6 points per set in 15 regular season matches, according to a release from the OCAA. Huggins is also the division co-leader, averaging 3.87 kills per set.
“It's kind of surreal to come back to the OCAA, playing with my team one more time, and then also being recognized by all of the other coaches in the OCAA for how much work that I've put in for the last five years,” said Huggins, who first played for the Saints in the 2021-2022 season. She played three seasons at St. Clair before spending some time out east in the university circuit. “I just wanted to have fun with the girls for one last time.”
And a fun time, she had. Huggins came back to St. Clair for her final year of eligibility and made the most of the regular season – but is hungry for more.
“It's nice to have the accolades, but at the end of the day, I'd rather have a gold medal with my team that I've spent so much time with,” Huggins said.
“She's the best, I believe, in the country as an outside hitter,” said Coach Milling. “Her all-around game, defensively, on serve, and at the net play is on point. Her offence has always been strong, but when she came back after playing at university, she brought a different style of play.”
Huggins also broke a Saints record and is now is the all-time St. Clair kills leader, a feat which she accomplished in her final game of her regular-season collegiate career.
Teammate and setter Emma Clements was named an OCAA First-Team All-Star and is now the St. Clair all-time assists leader.
“You can't have a kill without a setter, so Emma Clements is one of the most important people that we have on our court this year,” said Coach Milling.
Clements had 283 assists during the season, at a staggering rate of 8.09 assists per set.
“Emma had a huge impact on me being able to do what I did,” added Huggins.
In her first year as a Saint, Lili Surgenor picked up OCAA Rookie of the Year honours and was named to the OCAA All-Rookie Team.
“Lili has come from a really good club program, and I knew right away when we were getting her that she was going to make an impact on the court,” said Milling. “She didn't see the playing time right away, but she earned it with consistent blocking and offence at the net for us on our right side.”
She come to St. Clair from Brooks, Alberta, along with a few other players Surgenor played club volleyball with back home.
For Surgenor, the accomplishment is very validating, rewarding, and exciting for her future with the squad. It also affirmed she made the right decision coming to St. Clair.
“Especially with all the opportunity I've gotten to be able to get these accolades, I don't think I would have been able to do this really anywhere else,” Surgenor said. “But because I've had the opportunity here, it's made it possible.”
The team is looking forward to this weekend’s quarterfinal match against Canadore, with an eye to what may come next.
“I feel very confident in our team, and how we train every day, the camaraderie on our team is very cohesive, and we work very well together,” said Huggins. “I'm very confident that we'll be able to put it all together when it matters most.”
“We’re not done yet. We just have to do what we do best and keep the ball off the floor, hit the ball hard, be smart with it, play together and have lots of fun,” Huggins said.
“Because that's what happens when we have fun. We win.”
