Camosun College Chargers second-year rightside Hilary Graham earned her first Pacific Western Athletic Association (PacWest) women’s volleyball Athlete of the Week award for her phenomenal performance against Douglas College this past weekend.
A depleted Camosun College Chargers lineup left New Westminster with a split on the weekend, led by outside hitter Graham.
On Friday, Graham played leftside and contributed 25 points (20 kills, one block, four service aces) in addition to 14 digs in a 3-2 Camosun victory. On Saturday the native of Courtenay crossed back over to the rightside and increased her kill total to 25 for the match. Four service aces brought her point production to 29 and a very impressive 54 total points for the weekend.
Graham continues to train and grow with the game and in two years has transitioned from the middle as a high school (Mark Isfeld) and club (Nanaimo Volleyball Club) athlete to the rightside and now the leftside wing positions. In PacWest she is ranked fifth in aces, 13th in kills and 14th in total offensive points.
Graham graduated from Mark Isfeld in Courtenay and is a student in Camosun’s Centre for Sport and Exercise Education Exercise and Wellness program.
Poised for playoffs
Standing in fifth place with a record of 8-11, the Chargers women’s volleyball team has confirmed their spot in post-sseason play and despite a number of injuries to the lineup, things are looking good for the squad which is comprised primarily of first- and second-year players.
“We’ve secured a playoff spot and will definitely be in the 4 versus 5 match,” reported head coach Chris Dahl. “Injuries in competition and training have affected our roster but it has presented a great opportunity for our program to continue its growth by persevering through adversity.”
Dahl’s philosophy of changing things up was certainly evident this past weekend when he moved second-year Charger Graham from her customary rightside position to the leftside and then back to the right again all in one weekend.
What resulted was a personal best for the native of Courtenay who produced a phenomenal total of 54 points in two matches and her first-ever PacWest Athlete of the Week title.
“There's a lot that goes on in a season and this is another experience in the growth of a team. At the end of the day, we play volleyball. We just want to make sure we play it better today than we did yesterday,” Dahl said.
– Camosun Chargers