SCARBOROUGH –Loyalist Lancers hitter Sara Piana Yafu (Ottawa) was named the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) Women's Volleyball Player of the Year on Thursday morning at the breakfast banquet for the 2018 OCAA Women's Volleyball Championship presented by Belairdirect.
Piana Yafu led the entire conference with 4.78 kills per set, leading the Lancers to a 16-2 record and the regular season East Division title. She ranked first in points (362), points per set (5.7), kills (306), kills per set (4.78) and hitting percentage (0.406). The third-year outside hitter is also a Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) All-Canadian, as well as an OCAA East Division First-Team All-Star.
Breanna Golding (Pickering) of the Humber Hawks was also named a CCAA All-Canadian. Last year’s OCAA Rookie of the Year continued her strong play in her sophomore season finishing second in points per set (4.4) and third in kills per set (3.31). In addition, Golding was also named to the OCAA West Division’s First All-Star Team.
Jessica Heidbuurt (Waterdown) of the Mohawk Mountaineers took home OCAA Rookie of the Year honours. The first-year middle hitter was exceptional in her first season of post-secondary play. She finished in the top-10 in a number of league categories including; points per set (3.4), points (222), kills per set (2.56) and total kills (169). Heidbuurt was also named a First Team All-Star and headlines the class of 2018 rookies on the OCAA All-Rookie Team.
Centennial Colts rookie outside hitter Heather Sanchez was the OCAA East Division Rookie of the Year. Sanchez finished with 2.2 points per set good enough for fourth on her team.
Third-year Head Coach Matthew Cheung of the Centennial Colts was named the OCAA East Division Coach of the Year and will be the OCAA nominee for the CCAA Coach of the Year. Cheung led the Colts to a 15-3 regular season record and a second place finish in the OCAA East Division.
Chris Wilkins was honoured as the OCAA West Division Coach of the Year. Wilkins led the Hawks to another perfect 18-0 season. The reigning ten-time OCAA Champions lost only four of their 58 sets this season.
Sara Piana Yafu and Breanna Golding both added some more hardware to their collections are they were each named scoring champions for their respective divisions. Piana Yafu led the OCAA East Division with 5.7 points per set, totaling 362 points on 306 kills, 29 service aces and 27 stuff blocks.
Breanna Golding was the OCAA West Division Scoring Champion in 2017-18, averaging 4.4 points per set. Golding had 159 kills, 29 service aces and 25 total blocks for a season total of 213 points.
2018 OCAA Women’s Volleyball Awards
Women's Volleyball East Division Champions
Loyalist Lancers
Women's Volleyball West Division Champions
Humber Hawks
OCAA Women's Volleyball Player of the Year
Sara Piana Yafu, Loyalist
OCAA Women's Volleyball Rookie of the Year
Jessica Heidbuurt, Mohawk
CCAA Women's Volleyball All-Canadians
Sara Piana Yafu, Loyalist
Breanna Golding, Humber
CCAA Women's Volleyball Coach of the Year Nominee
Matthew Cheung, Centennial
Women's Volleyball East Division Scoring Champion
Sara Piana Yafu, Loyalist
Women's Volleyball West Division Scoring Champion
Breanna Golding, Humber
Women's Volleyball East Division Rookie of the Year
Heather Sanchez, Centennial
Women's Volleyball West Division Rookie of the Year
Jessica Heidbuurt, Mohawk
Women's Volleyball East Division Coach of the Year
Matthew Cheung, Centennial College
Women's Volleyball West Division Coach of the Year
Chris Wilkins, Humber College
Women's Volleyball East Division
1st Team All-Stars
Sara Piana Yafu, Loyalist
Mari Pikkov, Centennial
Serah Rounds-Zavitz, Algonquin
Crystalyn O'Donnell, Seneca
Rylee Leger, Algonquin
Lorraine Spellman, Loyalist
Taylor Butcher, Seneca
Women's Volleyball East Division
2nd Team All-Stars
Elizabeth Chow, Centennial
Allyson Terwillegar, Durham
Jess Venhuizen, Canadore
Christine Madogo, Loyalist
Emilie Leneveu, Loyalist
Nadjema Soro, Centennial
Jodie Mitchell, Loyalist
Women's Volleyball West Division
1st Team All-Stars
Breanna Golding, Humber
Meghan Morelli, Fanshawe
Jordan Koslowski, Niagara
Taylor Ley, Sheridan
Jessica Heidbuurt, Mohawk
Darian Gropp, Fanshawe
Kyla Wilkins, Humber
Women's Volleyball West Division
2nd Team All-Stars
Shannon Morelli, Fanshawe
Danielle Kamps, Mohawk
Lindsay Vanderweide, Mohawk
Nicole Collard, Humber
Jessica Masse, St. Clair
Amanda Kuiper, Mohawk
Julie Ann Milling, St. Clair
Women's Volleyball OCAA All-Rookie Team
Heather Sanchez, Centennial
Ashlyn Kadlecik, Canadore
Lorraine Spellman, Loyalist
Jessica Heidbuurt, Mohawk
Isabelle Rivest, Cambrian
Te-Anna Stephenson, St. Clair