Momentum Exclusive: Canucks in the South – NCAA 150-340

In my last article we took a look at the Canadians making an impact on NCAA teams ranked in the top 150. Next up, a look at the teams ranked 150-340. Team results and individual statistics reflect matches through November 7th, but rankings remain as of October 31, 2021. Current RPI rankings will be listed beside the previous week in brackets.

#153 (139): UNC Greensboro – Hannah Knier (6’2 JR Middle – Peterborough, Ontario – Durham Region Volleyball Club)

A regular in the Spartan lineup, Knier has had a strong presence on the court during her 3 years in Greensboro. So far this season, she’s posted a high of 11 kills in their win against ETSU on September 25, 2021. The UNCG team has a record of 19-6 overall and 11-4 in conference. Their success has them tied for first place in conference and will participate in the SoCon championship tournament toward the end of the month. Look for them to be competitive with current SoCon leaders, Mercer, somewhere in the finals. 

#164 (147): UAB – Alex Kells (6’0 R-JR Outside – Burlington, Ontario – Halton Region Volleyball)

After redshirting in her freshman season, Kells has been a constant on the left pin for the Blazers of Birmingham. This season, she has posted a career high 20 kills in a 4 set loss against Conference USA leaders, Rice, on October 29, 2021. At 6-6 in conference, UAB is ranked 4th in the West division and will likely miss out on their conference championship tournament. 

#183 (167): Montana – Carly Anderson (5’9 SO Setter – Mississauga, Ontario – Halton Region Volleyball)

As a freshman, Anderson took over the setting duties for the Montana Grizzlies and continues to hold that position down in her second season. This year she has posted a career high 59 assists in a tough 5 set loss to Eastern Washington on October 9, 2021. Anderson recently took over the statistical standings at 9.56 assists per set. Montana is currently ranked 8th and still have a fighting chance to lock down the last remaining berth into the Big Sky Conference. 

#184 (195): Santa Clara – Kat Georgiadis (5’7 SO DS/Libero – Scarborough, Ontario – Leaside Volleyball)

As a freshman, Georgiadis saw court time in all 18 matches the Broncos played while starting in 4. So far in her sophomore season, Kat has posted a season high 26 digs in a 3 set win over Oregon State on September 17, 2021. At 5-8 in conference play, Santa Clara is currently ranked 7th in the West Coast Conference. 

#187 (200): UT Martin – Olivia Saunders (6’2 R-JR Middle – Mississauga, ON – Halton Region Volleyball)

After transferring from Wake Forest, Saunders has found a new home in Martin, Tennessee. While at Wake Forest, Saunders found herself ranked 10th in all-time attack percentage with at least 300 career kills for the Demon Deacons. So far for the Skyhawks, she has posted a season high 17 kills against SIUE on October 23, 2021. UT-Martin is currently tied for 4th in the Ohio Valley Conference with a 9-7 record, likely securing their bid into the conference championship tournament. UTM will have to take down currently OVC leaders, Morehead State, for a chance to make it to the NCAA national tournament. 

#193 (186): Tarleton State – Megan Haynes (6’0 FR Outside – Surrey, British Columbia – Velocity Volleyball)

As a freshman, Haynes has seen some court time so far this season for the Texans. Making appearances in 10 matches, Megan has posted a career high 5 kills in a match against Texas Southern on September 23, 2021. Tarleton State is currently 4th in the WAC’s Southwest Division at 5-5 in conference play. 

#213 (220): Eastern Michigan – Raeven Chase (6’3 R-SO Middle – Toronto, Ontario – Etobicoke Titans & Pakmen) 

As a freshman during the 2020-2021 COVID season, Chase appeared in all 20 matches for the Eagles. So far this season, she’s posted a high of 19 kills against Central Michigan on October 20, 2021. The Eagles of Eastern Michigan have had a tough start to their conference season with a 4-11 record. They are currently ranked last in the West division of the Mid-American Conference. 

#215 (216): Albany – Shynelle Woroniuk (6’0 FR Middle – Red Deer, Alberta – Queen’s Volleyball Club)

Woroniuk is currently a freshman for the Great Danes of Albany and has yet to see action in the Purple and Gold. UAlbany is currently 7-4 in conference play and currently tied for second. They are expected to earn a berth into the America East conference tournament for a shot at a trip to the NCAA tournament this year. 

#218 (219): East Carolina – Tia Shum (5’6 FR Libero – London, Ontario – Forest City & Halton Region Volleyball)

For the majority of the season so far, Shum has locked down the libero jersey for the Pirates of East Carolina. This year, Tia has put up an impressive career high of 21 digs against Tulane on October 22, 2021. The Pirates are 5-9 in American Conference play and are currently tied for 8th. 

#227 (230): Western Carolina – Eden Punch (5’10 SO Middle – Burlington, Ontario – Halton Region Volleyball)

After making 10 appearances in the regular season last year, Punch has found her way back into the lineup for the Catamounts of Western Carolina. This season, she has posted a career high 9 kills in a 3 set win against Furman on October 8, 2021. Hitting an impressive 0.338 efficiency, Eden has helped her team to a 7-8 conference record and a tie for 5th place in the SoCon conference. The Catamounts will have an opportunity to compete for a conference championship and a hopeful bid into the NCAA tournament in the coming weeks. 

#235 (234): Marist – Sasha van der Merwe (6’1 SO Outside Hitter – Guelph, Ontario – Halton Region Volleyball)

Coming off of her freshman season where she appeared in 3 of Marist’s 4 matches during the COVID season, van der Merwe has found her way into the starting lineup for the Marist College Red Foxes. This season, Sasha has posted a high of 18 kills in a tough 5 set win against Iona College on October 23, 2021. The Red Foxes compete in the MAAC and are currently 3rd in the rankings, good enough for a trip to their conference championship coming up on November 19, 2021. 

#238 (246): Columbia – Emily Teehan (6’0 SR Outside – Toronto, Ontario – Leaside Volleyball)

A regular in the Columbia lineup, Teehan is back for another season of action after having her 2020-2021 season cancelled due to COVID-19. Dropping an impressive 20 kills in a 4 set win over Cornell on September 20, 2021, Teehan is doing more than just holding her own while also studying Biochemistry with the hopes of becoming an orthopaedic surgeon, according to her biography on the Columbia roster. Columbia had a tough season, currently at 2-10 in conference play with 2 games remaining and will not see any post-season action this year. 

#240 (227): UW Green Bay – Alex Zakutney (R-SO Outside – Ottawa, Ontario – Ottawa Mavericks)

After making her return to the court during the 2020-2021 COVID year due to a season ending knee injury in 2019, Zakutney has been putting up impressive numbers once again for the Green and White. In a 5 set win over a tough Cleveland State, she put down 22 kills on October 7, 2021 while hitting 0.291 and picking up 14 digs along the way. After dominating the Horizon League for the past few years, the Phoenix are finding themselves in the fight to make their conference tournament at 8-8 in conference play. Right now, the team is ranked 6th and would qualify if the post-season started today, but have 2 more matches to round out their schedule. 

#244 (252): Cal – Katarina Pantovic (6’0 SO Outside – Vancouver, British Columbia – Thunder Volleyball)

As a freshman last season, Pantovic played in 20 matches for the Golden Bears of California-Berkley but has seen very limited court time so far this season. In 2020, Kat posted a career high 16 kills in a 5 set loss to Colorado on February 5, 2021. The Golden Bears are having an incredibly tough season at 0-14 in conference play, winning only 7 matches so far this season, all in non-conference competition. 

#249 (248): Eastern Illinois – Danielle Allen (5’8 SR Outside – Burlington, Ontario – Pakmen Volleyball)
2020 was a breakout season for Danielle, ranking second on her team in kills per set and attack percentage, but 2021 has been no different for the undersized attacker. Posting a career high 24 kills in a tough 4 set loss against Tennessee Tech on November 4, 2021, Danielle is currently averaging 3.33 kills per set, beating out her record from the 2020 season. The Panthers of Eastern Illinois are just 3-13 in conference and tied for 8th in the Ohio Valley Conference rankings. The Panthers will need to finish out their last 2 matches in the win column or get some help from their conference mates in order to lock down the last spot in the OVC conference tournament. 

#258 (255): Rider – Caprice Clarke (5’11 SR Middle – Toronto, Ontario – Leaside Volleyball)

Seeing court time throughout her career at Rider University, Caprice has continued to be an important piece of the Bronco offense, hitting 0.325 so far on the season. In a match against Marist College and fellow Canadian Sasha Van Der Merwe, Clark put down 9 kills in a tough 5 set loss on October 30, 2021. Rider is currently ranked second in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference and will have a chance to take the conference title and bid to the NCAA tournament. 

#264 (258): Georgia State – Juliana Truscott (6’1 JR Outside – Calgary, Alberta – Dinos Volleyball)

After not competing during the 2020-2021 COVID season, Truscott has found her way back into the lineup for the Panthers this year. In a match against Little Rock, Juliana posted a career high 13 kills on October 23, 2021. Another team having a tough year, Georgia State is 4-10 in conference play and 5th place in the 6th team West Division of the Sunbelt Conference. The Panthers will get a shot in the conference tournament, but will have to take down a higher ranked opponent in the pre-quarters round of playoffs in order to continue the dream of making it to the finals. 

#310 (313): UNCW – Grace Melnick (6’1 FR Middle/Right Side – Niagara-On-The-Lake, Ontario – Defensa Volleyball)

As a freshman, Melnick is off to a solid start for the Seahawks, making appearances in 79 sets so far this season. Recently, Grace posted her career high of 8 kills on November 6, 2021 against the William & Mary Tribe. The Seahawks are currently 3-11 in CAA conference play with 2 matches remaining on the season. Even if they were to win-out the remaining matches, UNCW’s record is not quite good enough to get them into the conference tournament this season. 

#311 (308): Maryland Eastern Shore – Sydney Morris (5’11 JR Middle – Oshawa, Ontario – Leaside Volleyball)

After being a part of another team that did not play in the 2020-2021 COVID season, Morris has been making small appearances for Maryland Eastern Shore so far this year. In a match against Georgetown on September 10, 2021, she posted a season high 5 points with 3 kills and 4 block assists. The Hawks are 7-6 in conference play and ranked 5th in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, qualifying them for their conference championship tournament in the coming weeks. 

#316 (311): Youngstown State – Aimee Beaupre (6’0 JR Middle – Waterdown, Ontario – Defensa Volleyball) & Cheyenna Hlady (6’2 FR MB – Mississauga, Ontario – Pakmen Volleyball)

This Canadian duo has seen some action for the Penguins of Youngstown State so far this season. As a Junior Middle, Beaupre posted a season high 5 kills against Cleveland State on October 23, 2021, while Freshman Middle, Hlady posted a career high 7 kills against Wright State on October 5, 2021. Youngstown State is currently 3-12 in conference play and ranked 9th in the Horizon League.  The Penguins aren’t quite good enough this season and will miss out on post-season play after wrapping up their schedule with 3 remaining matches. 

#329 (328): Fairleigh Dickinson: Brooke Stevens (6’1 SR Middle – Mississauga, Ontario – Pakmen Volleyball) & Alix Christie (6’2 Grad Middle – Beachville, Ontario – Halton Region Volleyball)

This Canadian duo has been holding down the middle of the court for the Knights of Fairleigh Dickinson so far this season. After graduating from the University of Louisiana Monroe, Alix Christie has been a key addition to the program, recently posting 13 blocks over a course of a weekend, good enough to be named the NEC Defensive Player of the Week. Christie put down a season high 10 kills on October 16, 2021 against Merrimack College. Her Northern counterpart, Brooke Stevens, has had an impressive year so far as well, posting a season high 13 kills against St. Francis Brooklyn on September 25, 2021. The FDU Knights are 3-9 in conference and will not see any post-season action this season. 

#336 (337): Manhattan – Meagan Miller (6’2 Grad Middle – Oakville, Ontario – Halton Region Volleyball)

After being a critical part of the Manhattan College offense for 4 years, Miller took her additional year of eligibility from the COVID season to begin her graduate studies with the Jaspers. During the 2020-2021 season, Miller posted a career high 14 kills and 17.5 points against Quinnipiac on March 9, 2021. Recently, Meagan announced her retirement from the sport due to a career ending injury. The Jaspers have had a tough season at just 2-14 in conference play with 2 matches remaining. 

#338 (No Change): Saint Peter’s – Jayden Easingwood (6’0 FR Setter – Calgary, Alberta – Canuck Volleyball)

As a freshman, Easingwood has seen some time on court for the Saint Peter’s Peacocks this year. In a conference match against Fairfield, Jayden posted a career high 24 assists and 7 digs in a 3 set loss to the Stags on September 19, 2021. The Peacocks are 1-15 in MAAC play with 2 matches remaining on the season. Their record has them ranked last in conference standings and will not see any post-season action this year.