Trio of volleyball players commit to Nipissing
Nipissing women’s volleyball head coach Marc LaRochelle is pleased to announce that Allison Larsen, Christina Caruso and Briar Fleming have committed to Nipissing University.
Larsen, a 5’9” left side hitter from Lively, Ontario, played high school volleyball at Lo-Ellen Park Secondary School and club volleyball for the Northern Chill. Over the past several years Larsen and her club teammates have captured four Ontario Volleyball Association (OVA) bronze medals at various tournaments. Larsen also plays beach volleyball and captured an OVA gold medal in Sudbury in 2011.
“I have had the opportunity to watch Allison for several years now,” said LaRochelle. “She is a very aggressive hitter that also possesses a variety of shots. Allison is very sound technically and is a competitor.”
Caruso, a 5’8” left side hitter from Pickering, Ontario, attended Dunbarton high school where she captured a 2012 OFSAA “AAAA” antique Bronze medal. During her club career playing for the Scarborough Titans she captured over 40 OVA medals including a 16U provincial championship and National Bronze medal.
“Having watched Christina over the past season it was evident that she is an extremely athletic, versatile player with a high volleyball IQ. She can pass, play defence and brings a strong leadership presence on the court,” added LaRochelle.
Briar Fleming, a 5’11” middle player from Merrickville, Ontario, captained St. Michael Catholic High School to their first OFSAA “AA” appearance in school history. The Mustangs finished 12th while capturing two tournament silver medals along the way.
“Briar brings a lot of energy on the court and for a middle player has strong ball handling skills. She also reads situations well and possesses a good vertical jump,” added LaRochelle.
“After touring the campus, residences and athletic facilities, I knew that I had to go to Nipissing University in the fall,” said Fleming. “I believe I will have a more personal experience and I am looking forward to try-outs, starting my program and meeting lots of new people.”
“I am excited about the level of talent coming in September,” stated LaRochelle. “These players all have a great work ethic and possess a team-first mentality, which is a crucial ingredient to our teams success.”
Along with previously announced players, Jade DeCoste and Brittany MacComish, the Lakers try-outs will certainly be very competitive as the team looks to improve upon its 2012 bronze medal performance.