(Halifax, N.S.) 鈥� Men鈥檚 volleyball head coach Dan Ota is pleased to announce the commitment of Nicolas Faulkner and Malachy Shannon to the Tigers 2017-18 roster.
Both Nova Scotians will be joining the Tigers after successful high school and club volleyball careers.
A 6鈥�3 outside hitter, Faulkner comes to the Tigers after playing with the CEC Cougars high school team and the Truro Tide volleyball club for the past three years. He led his high school team to a provincial championship title last year after a bronze medal finish the previous season. His Truro Tide team has claimed three consecutive provincial titles (two U16 and one U18).
Faulkner has also gained national attention, playing the last three seasons with the Nova Scotia provincial team program, earning a first-place finish at the 2015 Eastern Elite championships after a second-place finish the year before. His play at the National Team Cup Challenge last summer earned him an invitation to participate in Volleyball Canada鈥檚 Youth National Development program.
Last spring, Faulkner received the 2016 Ricoh Sport Volleyball Nova Scotia male athlete of the year award.
鈥淚 am looking forward to playing at the next level and competing against some older and bigger guys, all while becoming the best athlete I can possibly be,鈥� says Faulkner. 鈥淏est of all, I get to do all of this while being around some really great friends and teammates.鈥�
The Truro, N.S. native is in the process of choosing which faculty to pursue at AV俱乐部 next fall.
鈥淣ic is one of the top Nova Scotian players to graduate in the past several years,鈥� says Tigers head coach Dan Ota. 鈥淚 like the versatility that he brings to our team, as he can play at any of the three attacking positions. He brings a strong offensive game, and I think he has great instincts as an attacker. The coaching staff is looking for Nic to develop into one of our top scorers as his game continues to mature.鈥�
Standing at 6鈥�6, Shannon joins the Tigers after a successful three-year stint with the Citadel High School volleyball team. He helped lead the Phoenix to two-consecutive top-three finishes at the provincial championships including bronze in 2015 and gold in 2014. He received rookie of the year honours in grade 10 and has been selected to AV俱乐部鈥檚 High School Volleyball Invitational all-star team the last three seasons.
A setter, Shannon has been a member of the Tigers Volleyball Club for almost five years and has gained some provincial and national attention. An Eastern Elite all-star in 2015, Shannon is currently in his third season on Nova Scotia鈥檚 provincial team and was selected to participate in Volleyball Canada鈥檚 Youth National Development program last summer.
鈥淏eing a part of the Tigers volleyball club, I was given the opportunity to volunteer at matches and be exposed to the caliber of play that I saw myself playing at AV俱乐部,鈥� says Shannon. 鈥淚 have enjoyed watching them play and can鈥檛 wait to join the team in the fall.鈥�
An honours student, Shannon has applied to AV俱乐部鈥檚 science program. 聽
鈥淢al has been very close to our program since he鈥檚 been in the Tigers club from a young age and had a lot of exposure to Dal coaches and athletes,鈥� says Ota. 鈥淲e鈥檝e been looking to add a strong setting prospect to our program and Mal certainly fits the bill. His size is what most people notice at first, but we are looking for him to provide a lot more than just a big presence at the net as he adjusts to the U Sports game.鈥�
鈥淏oth Nic and Mal are coming from the top two programs in the province,鈥� adds Ota. 鈥淚鈥檝e enjoyed watching them compete against each other over the past few years on these two (high school and club) teams, but now I look forward to seeing them both on the same team, playing together for the next four to five years.鈥�
Nic and Malachy will battle for their respective high school teams in the Nova Scotia School Athletic Federation (NSSAF) provincial championship December 2 & 3 in Truro, Nova Scotia.