CREDIT: COURTESY OF FANSHAWE ATHLETICS
Joanne Verbeek, athletic offi cer, Stephanie Bignell and coach Sean Pellman when Bignell was awarded for breaking the record at Falcons Fest on January 26.

A Fanshawe Falcons volleyball player set a new record on January 24 for the most career blocks in the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association.

Stephanie Bignell, who is in her fifth year at Fanshawe College, finished the game against the Sheridan Bruins with seven blocks for a career total of 224. With January 28’s game against the Redeemer Royals, she raised her total to 229.

Mandi Doris of Durham College who previously held the record had a total of 217 blocks between 2005 and 2010.

“It’s pretty thrilling,” Bignell said. “It’s five years of volleyball, so it’s exciting to have something to leave with.”

But Bignell isn’t out of the woods yet – Hannah Campbell, a fifthyear student at Georgian College, also broke Doris’ record with 223 blocks.

Campbell has three games left. Bignell has four.

“I hope I come out with the most,” Bignell said. “It’s going to be a bit of challenge, but there’ll be some fun to work for between the two of us.”

The Drayton, Ont. native started playing volleyball around grade nine – she tried for her school teams in grades 7, 8 and 9 but she always got cut.

“I wasn’t necessarily skilled at it,” she said, laughing.

A volleyball club coach heard she was tall – she’s now 6 ft. – and started working with her when she was in Grade 9. She made the school team in Grade 10 and started playing club volleyball, house leagues and attending volleyball camps.

She says she never planned on setting records. But when she was in third year, she made it in the top five for career blocks. That’s when she set her eyes on the record.

“It’s spectacular,” said Sean Pellman, coach of the Falcon’s women’s volleyball team. “Steph put a lot of time and work into getting to the point where she’s now leading all the OCAA players to ever play the game in the league in blocks.”

This year is Bignell’s last year at Fanshawe, but the theater production student wants to stay involved with volleyball, hoping to coach a club or high school volleyball team.

“I’m not ready to give it up yet.”