Mounties win major ACAA volleyball awards

Three volleyball Mounties have been honoured with several major awards from the 2009-2010 Atlantic Colleges Athletic Association (ACAA) volleyball season.

Laurie Marchbank was selected as the league's MVP and a first-team all-star. Allison Settle was honoured as a second-team all-star and the conference's rookie of the year. And sophomore Caila Henderson, last year's ACAA rookie, was chosen as a first-team all-star.

Marchbank of Kensington, P.E.I,, the Mounties' libero, won MVP of the league honours. A fifth-year defensive wizard, Marchbank led her team with 291 digs over the season (4.55 per game), and an 85 per cent serve receive average. A second-team all-conference last season, she was also a PEI all-star from 2003-2005.

A past provincial player and coached by former Mountie, all-Canadian Lynn Boudreau, Marchbank was a Kensington Intermediate Senior High School libero from 2002-05. This year she will graduate from Mount Allison with a degree in commerce and hopes to continue her studies in an MBA program, concentrating on sales and advertising.

First-year Mountie setter Allison Settle from Truro, N.S., was recognized as the conference's rookie of the year and as a second-team all-star. A past starter for five undefeated seasons with six-time provincial champions Cobequid Educational Centre (CEC), Settle was a Nova Scotia all-star in 2009, and the MVP of last year's CEC team coached by Bob Piers.

In 2008 the 5'6" Settle also played for the Central Nova squad coached by Gilles Boudreau. She led the league in assists with 403, and is currently enrolled in first-year commerce at Mount A.

Last year's conference and Mount Allison rookie of the year, Caila Henderson, was selected to the first-team all-stars for the second consecutive time. Leading the conference in kills (128), ace serves (33), and finishing second in digs (171) behind her libero teammate, she is a former athlete of the year from South Colchester Academy (SCA), in Brookfield, NS.

Henderson also previously played provincial championship volleyball with the Central Nova team from 2004-08. A past 2007 MVP with the SCA volleyball squad, and coached by former Mountie Teri Kennedy, she won high school rookie of the year honours, the sportsmanship award, athlete of the year, and was selected as valedictorian for her class in 2008.

Henderson led her Mounties to a second-place ranking and another playoff appearance. A multi-sport athlete, shewas also a member of this year's ACAA championship cross-country team. She is in second-year science and hopes to pursue a degree in environmental science.