Disruptive line change for Falcons Volleyball
After a very strong first half, the real test is about to start for the Fanshawe Falcons Men's Volleyball team.
Entering this week, the Falcons are ranked second in the OCAA. However that could all change within the first couple games. Fanshawe has a record of 4-1 and sits atop of their division. Now if you were to take a quick look at this team you would assume that they would be a virtual lock to participate in provincials this year, which Fanshawe College is hosting.
What you may not know is the Falcon's have lost two key players for the second half. Rookie head coach Josh Westgate, said it was not because of grades.
“Everyone passed, from both the men's and women's program, which is a great accomplishment. This is very impressive and it shows the intelligence of these teams,” explained Westgate.
Westgate said that he lost two key players; Justin Guerin and Pawel Kurcharski.
“Guerin, is studying in the Netherlands this semester, which is quite the opportunity for him and Pawel has graduated,” said Westgate.
Now these are two big blows for this team. Guerin is the leading point scorer for this team and his minutes and smarts will be missed. As of right now Kurcharski is not on the team, however there has been some rumblings around the gym that he could be back if he does not find a job in his field of work right away.
Although, Westgate is not worried about the loss of these players.
“Guerin, is our leader when it comes to points. However we do have the experience and talent level to work around that,” he said. ”I'm not overly concerned, it's two big loses and the guys are eager to fill in and the team chemistry is there.”
Team chemistry is often under rated when it comes to team sports and the affect it can have on the team. Volleyball and basketball have the longest schedule when it comes to Fanshawe varsity sports. Earlier this year the team had some chemistry issues, however according to Westgate, the Christmas break couldn't have came at a better time. “Everything has been sorted out. Through an eight-month season spending so much time with players there is expected to be a few hiccups, but it has been fantastic, Westgate said. “It shows by everyone passing their courses and the players want to be here with their teammates.”
Their will be no easy games for the Falcons this second half. The top eight teams make it to provincials and it would be very disappointing if the host team didn't even qualify. If they were to start today the Falcons would be in.
Westgate knows this second half promises to be very interesting as numerous teams have changed over the Christmas break including his own.
“From what I hear, Algonquin has picked up a very high caliber player who played at the University of Manitoba last year. So there is a lot of competition there. We're not focused on just one team, we're worried about taking care of our side of the net,” he said.
He does feel that he has a team that could compete for provincials and with the home court advantage and home court crowd, anything can happen.
On a side note congratulations to Mike King of the Fanshawe Falcons men's basketball team. He has been named OCAA player of the week after averaging 10 points per game in a tournament last week.
Entering this week, the Falcons are ranked second in the OCAA. However that could all change within the first couple games. Fanshawe has a record of 4-1 and sits atop of their division. Now if you were to take a quick look at this team you would assume that they would be a virtual lock to participate in provincials this year, which Fanshawe College is hosting.
What you may not know is the Falcon's have lost two key players for the second half. Rookie head coach Josh Westgate, said it was not because of grades.
“Everyone passed, from both the men's and women's program, which is a great accomplishment. This is very impressive and it shows the intelligence of these teams,” explained Westgate.
Westgate said that he lost two key players; Justin Guerin and Pawel Kurcharski.
“Guerin, is studying in the Netherlands this semester, which is quite the opportunity for him and Pawel has graduated,” said Westgate.
Now these are two big blows for this team. Guerin is the leading point scorer for this team and his minutes and smarts will be missed. As of right now Kurcharski is not on the team, however there has been some rumblings around the gym that he could be back if he does not find a job in his field of work right away.
Although, Westgate is not worried about the loss of these players.
“Guerin, is our leader when it comes to points. However we do have the experience and talent level to work around that,” he said. ”I'm not overly concerned, it's two big loses and the guys are eager to fill in and the team chemistry is there.”
Team chemistry is often under rated when it comes to team sports and the affect it can have on the team. Volleyball and basketball have the longest schedule when it comes to Fanshawe varsity sports. Earlier this year the team had some chemistry issues, however according to Westgate, the Christmas break couldn't have came at a better time. “Everything has been sorted out. Through an eight-month season spending so much time with players there is expected to be a few hiccups, but it has been fantastic, Westgate said. “It shows by everyone passing their courses and the players want to be here with their teammates.”
Their will be no easy games for the Falcons this second half. The top eight teams make it to provincials and it would be very disappointing if the host team didn't even qualify. If they were to start today the Falcons would be in.
Westgate knows this second half promises to be very interesting as numerous teams have changed over the Christmas break including his own.
“From what I hear, Algonquin has picked up a very high caliber player who played at the University of Manitoba last year. So there is a lot of competition there. We're not focused on just one team, we're worried about taking care of our side of the net,” he said.
He does feel that he has a team that could compete for provincials and with the home court advantage and home court crowd, anything can happen.
On a side note congratulations to Mike King of the Fanshawe Falcons men's basketball team. He has been named OCAA player of the week after averaging 10 points per game in a tournament last week.
