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Tommies Looking to Remain Atop the ACAA Standings in 2016-17

Tommies Looking to Remain Atop the ACAA Standings in 2016-17

By: Sean Crocker, BA'18

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The St. Thomas University men's volleyball team is looking to remain atop the Atlantic Collegiate Athletic Association standings in 2016-17.

After a season that saw them claim their fourth championship in five years, this edition of the Tommies is aiming to reload and remain successful with a blend of youth and veteran presence in the lineup.

 "Nathan Brown, Gage Grant, and Evan VanBuskirk are this year's rookies," Tommies head coach Francis Duguay said. "They all come from varying degrees of volleyball skill, but are all expected to shift from the high school level and into the university level very quickly."

The Tommies boast a strong core of returning players, but will rely on seniors Marc Blinn and Francis Sirois for leadership.

"Marc is entering his fourth year as player and third as captain. He's been leading the way for us and I expect another strong effort from him this year."

A lack of size will be the Tommies' drawback this season, but Duguay believes consistency in other areas will offset that weakness.

"We've had very steady setting for three years now," Duguay said. "One thing that stays consistent for everyone else is how the ball is set."

The Tommies had no issues in their first two games. They topped the Université Sainte-Anne Dragons 3-0 and followed that up with a 3-1 win over the Holland College Hurricanes in their home opener.

Duguay said the emphasis for the Tommies in 2016-17 will be desire, grit, and hard work.

"You never want to leave your self short.  You don't want to look back at these years of your life and say 'what if I did this, or what if I trained harder here,'" he said. "Empty the tank at every practice, every workout, and every game, and regardless of the outcome you can come out a winner."

The goal for the team is clear—bring home the ACAA banner.

"We have the players to meet both offensive and defensive needs, we just need to make sure players push themselves every day to improve and surpass expectations," Duguay said. "The goal is to earn a fourth straight ACAA banner."