Mounties will have fresh blood on the sidelines in Paul Settle.
For the second year in a row, the Mounties advanced in the Atlantic Collegiate Athletic Association (ACAA), losing against the St. Thomas University Tommies. The Mounties finished third in the ACAA, earning a berth in the playoffs, but failed to advance to the finals against the eventual champions, the Mount Saint Vincent University (MSVU) Mystics.
There will be a lot of excitement towards the 2013-2014 volleyball season as many of the current athletes will return to the court for Mt. A. In fact, all of the athletes will have a chance to make the team, except for graduating Mountie Brittany Cain. The five rookies from this season, Lynne Arsenault, Sydney Umlah, Maddie Coats, Meghan Adams, and Kayla Vande Kemp, will now have a chance to fit into bigger roles on the team. To complement the energy from the now sophomores, the Mounties will have veterans Caitlin MacDonald, Erica Cronkhite, and Georgia Sibold, who should be able to provide knowledge and experience for the sophomores, as well as new recruits, to continue to grow into team leaders as the veterans leave Mt. A.
The big question mark that will surround this team is the coaching staff. Head Coach Andrew Kennedy has done a fantastic job with this team, always forcing the team to work their hardest and forcing every last ounce of success out of the team the last few years. In Kennedy’s ten years as coach of the team, Kennedy won three ACAA championships, and never missed the playoffs.
But Kennedy has stepped down from his position and will be replaced by Paul Settle. Settle has a wealth of experience and training at several levels of volleyball, various other sports, refereeing, and education. Along with over twenty years of coaching and refereeing experience, he has a Bachelor of Education from MSVU and an Associate of Education degree from Nova Scotia Teachers College. Settle has won several provincial championship titles and has been recognized for his contributions through the Cobequid Educational Centre Coaching Excellence honour.
If there is a smooth transition for head coaching, the Mounties should be able to make a promising run at another championship in the upcoming season.
