CIS athletes of the week (#22): Volleyball champions Barclay, Lortie honoured

OTTAWA (CIS) – Volleyball players Lisa Barclay from the University of British Columbia and Jérémie Lortie of Laval University are the CIS female and male athletes of the week for the period ending March 3, 2013.

Barclay, a third-year kinesiology student from Brandon, Man., was named most valuable player of the CIS women’s championship for the second straight year after she helped the top-seeded Thunderbirds capture a record-tying sixth consecutive national title, in Sherbrooke, Que. The 6-foot-2 outside hitter led UBC in kills in all three matches this past weekend, including 17 in a straight-set quarter-final win versus Laval, 10 in a 3-1 semifinal victory against Trinity Western, and 16 in a 3-0 gold-medal triumph over Alberta. Prior to the CIS tournament, Barclay had been voted to the first all-Canadian team for the 2012-13 season.

Dalhousie volleyball player Tara Gowan, Concordia wrestler Linda Morais and Queen’s hockey player Taryn Pilon were also nominated for the women’s award.

Lortie, a fourth-year arts and science student from Ottawa, was chosen MVP of the CIS men’s championship after he guided the tournament host Rouge et Or to the fourth Tantramar Trophy triumph in program history, and their first since 1994, in Quebec City. The 6-foot-7 middle was named player of the game following a nine-kill, 4.5-block performance in a four-set quarter-final win over Alberta and never looked back, adding 16 kills in a thrilling 3-2 semifinal victory against top-ranked Brandon and 10 in a 3-1 title-clinching win over McMaster. Laval put an end to an 18-year reign by Canada West schools in CIS men’s volleyball.

Cape Breton basketball player Jimmy Dorsey, McMaster volleyball player Dany Demyanenko and UBC basketball player Doug Plumb were the other male nominees.

Female nominees:
AUS: Tara Gowan, volleyball, Dalhousie
RSEQ: Linda Morais, wrestling, Concordia
OUA: Taryn Pilon, hockey, Queen’s
CWUAA: Lisa Barclay, volleyball, UBC (recipient)

Male nominees:
AUS: Jimmy Dorsey, basketball, Cape Breton
RSEQ: Jérémie Lortie, volleyball, Laval (recipient)
OUA: Dany Demyanenko, volleyball, McMaster
CWUAA: Doug Plumb, basketball, UBC

-CIS-