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| (Nick Pearce Photo) |
When you have won 21 consecutive Atlantic University Sport (AUS) championships it is probably a safe bet to say your team is consistent. Consistency has always been a major component of the AV俱乐部 Tigers men鈥檚 volleyball program. It's consistently ranked in top 10 nationally, consistently the cream of the crop in AUS league play, and consistently able to recruit top volleyball players from all over Canada, players like Scarborough, Ontario鈥檚 Jeff Weiler.
Some of that trademark consistency could be missing this season with Mr. Weiler鈥檚 graduation last May. He played five seasons for the Tigers and was their star player at the key position of libero. For the uninitiated, the libero is a defensive specialist who freely subs in and out of the game, but is not allowed to serve or to attack the ball above the net.
鈥淭he libero is definitely a position that requires a different skill set, its mainly a passing first and defence second type role, and if the libero is having an off day in one of those areas he鈥檒l feel like he鈥檚 not able to contribute鈥�, explains Tigers head coach Dan Ota. 鈥淪o in that sense it鈥檚 a lot like a hockey goalie who has one main job, other players in hockey can defend, score goals, body check, so if you鈥檙e having a bad day shooting, you can still help the team.鈥澛�
With the position being that specialized it does take a certain mindset and commitment to team play for an athlete to excel as a libero. 鈥淲e were very fortunate to have Jeff as a Tiger for five years鈥� says Mr. Ota. 鈥淗e was an outstanding member of our program, the best players at his position in the country, an excellent student, and I believe well known and well liked all across campus, he was a very positive guy all the time.鈥�
With Mr. Weiler鈥檚 departure, Mr. Ota now recognizes his does have a hole to fill: 鈥淵ou never fully realize what someone like Jeff brings to your program until they are gone ... but that being said we have three potential candidates who are more than capable of stepping in and contributing in that role.鈥�
Fourth year outside hitter Paul Richer, as well as first year players Graeme Higgins and Travis Maclean are all expected to see time at the libero position. Richer has some experience at the varsity level playing occasionally at libero to give Weiler a rest, while Higgins and Maclean have both played it in high school and on provincial teams in Ontario. Mr. Ota says the libero-by-committee plan has its advantages, 鈥淩icher will get some time there so we can get him into more matches, Higgins who normally plays left side is coming off a shoulder injury, and Maclean has provincial team experience.鈥�
The loss of Mr. Weiler may be having an immediate effect on the Tigers who have already dropped a league match to rival University of New Brunswick (UNB). Mr. Ota thinks it鈥檚 more a case of UNB being stronger and not a sign of a decline in the AV俱乐部 program. 鈥淒efinitely I think we still have a very strong team, and I think UNB is stronger this year.鈥� The CIS rankings back him up as AV俱乐部 and UNB are both ranked in the top ten nationally.
As usual AV俱乐部 is on a year long preparation for the CIS championship in February, but Mr. Ota says he doesn鈥檛 look that far ahead. 鈥淎t this point in the year we don鈥檛 get caught up in results too much, certainly we want to win and we are not happy about losing, but we want to keep moving in the right direction towards our goal. We don鈥檛 look past any opponents, and everyone on the team knows there is no trip to nationals without winning the AUS title first.鈥� He thinks the 21 straight titles may have some thinking that league play doesn鈥檛 count for much, 鈥淚ts not easy to win the AUS title, and I think some people may be forgetting that in the nineties UNB had a very strong program and it was far from a sure thing that Dal would be able to beat them.鈥�
Mr. Ota is right about complacency hurting a team, but in this case it may be the fans that are being complacent, after all it鈥檚 been quite a while since anyone鈥檚 gone to a league match and not seen the Tigers dominate. However a stronger UNB team as well as hosting an interlocking tournament with the university teams from Quebec should make for more exciting and unpredictable volleyball at Dalplex this winter, and that is worth sacrificing a bit of consistency for.
Next: Dal Tigers Men's Volleyball team faces Laval on Friday, Nov. 23; Sherbrooke on Saturday, Nov. 24; and Montreal on Sunday, Nov. 25.
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