The ACAA volleyball awards banquet took place this evening, with four Tommies being honoured.

Second year players, Garret Dickson (Miramichi, NB) and Christian Christie (Langley, BC) were named to the ACAA All-Star Team.

Dickson is in the midst of a breakout season for the Tommies, finishing second in the ACAA in kills amongst middles, while having the highest kill percentage in the league, by a .141% margin. He also finished second in the ACAA in blocks for the year.

“Garret’s been a quiet leader for us this year,” said head coach Henri Mallet. “He rarely gets caught out of position on defense when it comes to blocking, and offensively, his efficiency was out of this world. There’s no doubt in my mind that Garret is one of the best middles in the country and we expect great things from him in the future.”

Christie is no stranger to ACAA accolades, as he was last season’s Rookie of the Year and made the All-Star team. Christie maintained his offensive prowess for the Tommies, finishing fourth in the ACAA in kills, while bettering his defensive numbers from last season, setting career highs in blocks and digs.

“Christian stepped up his game for us after an exceptional rookie year,” said Mallet. “As a rookie, he always was a threat at the net, but this year, with the loss of Josh Dorey (transfer to UNB Reds), he worked very hard to become a solid passer to solidify our serve receive. Not to mention his ability to score from the service line.”

Henry Doucet was named the league’s Rookie of the Year. The first-year setter from Truro, NS was thrust into a starting role with the Tommies and has thrived. Doucet finished second in the league in assists in his rookie campaign.

“Henry was put in a tough situation this year when he was asked to lead our offense as a rookie setter, but really stepped up and we were able to see his abilities and potential quickly,” said Mallet. “As a program, we expect a lot out of our setters and Henry quickly made the adjustment from high school volleyball to the college level. Henry understands the game of volleyball and was an integral part of our success this year as a team and really deserves the Rookie of the Year award with all the work he put in to improve.”

Mallet himself brought in some hardware as he was named the leagues Coach of the Year. In his second year at the helm Mallet improved the team’s record from last season as the team has improved in almost every major statistical category.

“Henri has done a great job again this year,” said Director of Athletics, Michael Eagles. “He works very hard at his recruiting and then developing his team throughout the year. It is nice to see him get recognized by his peers.”

The Tommies will open the men’s side of the championships on Saturday at 4:30pm when they take on the USA Dragons. The games can be viewed at acaatv.ca.