March 5, 2025 – Cementing his status as one of the most impactful student-athletes in Canada West men’s volleyball history, Alberta’s Isaac Heslinga has been named the conference’s Player of the Year for the second consecutive season.
After producing one of the best seasons in Bears history last year, Heslinga almost unimaginably exceeded those totals in 2024-25. The outside hitter led Canada West and U SPORTS in kills (340), kills per set (4.60), points (385.5) and points per set (5.2).
Joining Heslinga on the major awards list were two representatives from the conference-leading Winnipeg Wesmen, with Easton Dick recognized as Rookie of the Year and Chris Voth taking home Coach of the Year in his debut season as Wesmen bench boss. UBC’s Logan Greves earned his second straight Libero of the Year award, while Matthew Hamilton of Thompson Rivers was named the Student-Athlete Community Service Award recipient.
Player of the Year: Isaac Heslinga, Alberta
Rookie of the Year: Easton Dick, Winnipeg Wesmen
Libero of the Year: Logan Greves, UBC
Coach of the Year: Chris Voth, Winnipeg Wesmen
Student-Athlete Community Service Award: Matthew Hamilton, Thompson Rivers WolfPack
All eyes now shift to the Canada West Men’s Volleyball Final Four, hosted by University of Winnipeg this upcoming Friday and Saturday. Semifinal matchups pit the host No. 1 Wesmen versus No. 4 Saskatchewan (5 p.m. CST), and No. 2 Alberta against No. 3 UBC (7 p.m. CST).
The conference’s Gold and Bronze Medal Games will take place Saturday evening.
PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Isaac Heslinga, Alberta Golden Bears
Outside Hitter
Fourth Year
Hometown: Orangeville, Ont.
For the second-consecutive season, Alberta Golden Bears outside hitter Isaac Heslinga has been named the Canada West Player of the Year.
After producing one of the best seasons in Bears history last year, Heslinga almost unimaginably exceeded those totals in 2024-25. The Orangeville, Ont. product led Canada West and U SPORTS in kills (340), kills per set (4.60), points (385.5), and points per set (5.2).
His 4.60 kills per set are the fifth most by any Bear in a single season, and the most by any player since 1999. Arguably his most impressive stat is a stunning .373 attack percentage, as he committed just 78 errors on 703 attempts this season.
Heslinga also added 104 digs and 25 aces in 2024/25, becoming the Golden Bears all-time leader in aces with 105. He finishes his career second in UofA history with 1,172 kills, third with 1,369.5 points, and third with 3.7 kills per set.
“Isaac’s performance thus far this year has been fantastic. His statistics in attack are staggering topping the charts for our league in Kills/Set, Points/Set and one of the most efficient attackers of all positions as well. The stats that are less prevalent but entirely relevant to Isaac’s elite status are his reception and defence. He’s one of the greatest we’ve had in this area reminiscent of Ryley Barnes. The maturity and leadership he has portrayed this year has been key to our success not to mention his quiet and burning competitive drive. What is also of paramount importance to Isaac and our culture is how much he excels off the court. Isaac is an Academic All-Canadian in the challenging Faculty of Engineering and will graduate this year with his Mechanical Engineering degree. So proud of Isaac and all that his humble excellence has earned him!” – Alberta Headd Coach Brock Davidiuk
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Easton Dick, Winnipeg Wesmen
Middle
Hometown: Linden, Man.
After redshirting last season, Dick enjoyed a breakout campaign for the conference leading Wesmen, excelling after earning starting duties at the beginning of the season.
The Linden, Man. product appeared in all 20 conference matches, delivering 93 kills and a .352 attack percentage. He also added 52 total blocks and a team-leading 12 solos, which ranked sixth in Canada West and tops among freshmen.
In his first taste of playoff action last weekend, he totalled 11 kills and nine block assists in a quarterfinal sweep of Manitoba.
“We are incredibly proud of how Easton stepped up this year. After redshirting the previous season, he was thrust into a key role on the team and has excelled. He displays humility with a strong work ethic, mixing in focus and humour, and he consistently brings energy and intensity to every moment.” – Winnipeg Head Coach Chris Voth
LIBERO OF THE YEAR: Logan Greves, UBC Thunderbirds
Fourth Year
Libero
Hometown: Calgary, Alta.
Named Canada West Libero of the Year for the second straight season, Logan Greves continues to be the model of consistency.
The fourth-year from Calgary led the conference in both digs with 156 and digs-per-set with 2.36.
Averaging 2.253 digs-per-set over his four years with the blue and gold, Greves sits 16th all-time in the category and third among Thunderbirds behind only Ian Perry and legendary UBC libero Blair Bann.
Greves is the first Thunderbird to win back-to-back Libero of the Year awards since Bann took home four consecutive honours between 2007-08 and 2010-11.
“I think it’s really special for Logan and though he’s winning for the second consecutive year, this one feels fresh. I think last year he primarily won because his defensive numbers were out of this world but he’s just spent an enormous amount of time improving his serve-receive. Now he’s adding to his defensive prowess with really good serve-receive which then just alleviates so much pressure off the rest of our team. So, Logan’s play wasn’t simply on the defensive end but this year it felt like he transformed himself into a complete libero. It’s rare for a position like the libero to really be a game changer and I think that’s where he stands above the rest. I think there are a lot of really talented liberos who are really solid at what they do but especially defensively, Logan just steals points and he makes digs that nobody else can make.” – UBC Head Coach Mike Hawkins
COACH OF THE YEAR: Chris Voth, Winnipeg Wesmen
It was a debut season to remember for Chris Voth, as he led the Winnipeg Wesmen to its finest record in nearly 30 years and the first No. 1 seed in Canada West program history.
Voth, who took over for legendary Winnipeg coach Larry McKay last summer, had his team among the leaders in Canada West in offensive and defensive categories. The Wesmen were fourth in kills per set (12.14), fourth in attack percentage (.280) and fourth in digs per set (9.50), en route to compiling a sparkling 17-3 conference record.
Voth will now look to lead his team to a conference banner on home floor next weekend, as the Wesmen will host the CW Final Four for the first time in program history.
“In games, his analysis and management are exceptional, but I think his gifts for strategy and preparation set him apart. He works at such an incredibly high level every single day, but he’s able to distill down really complex ideas or statistical analyses in a way that’s accessible and empowering to the student-athletes. The team culture he’s been able to implement in just over six months is impressive – including focuses on mental preparation, adaptability, and resilience that usually take years to develop. His coaching philosophy really resonates with the team, and he’s been able to earn a lot of trust in a short amount of time. We’re pretty lucky that he’s leading this program and I’m honoured to work with him every day.” – Cara Isaak, Wesmen Athletic Director
STUDENT-ATHLETE COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARD: Matthew Hamilton, Thompson Rivers WolfPack
Fourth Year
Outside Hitter
Hometown: Lethbridge, Alta.
Emerging as a heart-and-soul leader for the WolfPack during his time at Thompson Rivers, Matthew Hamilton is honoured with this year’s Canada West Men’s Volleyball Student-Athlete Community Service Award.
As a four-time Academic All-Canadian in the TRU School of Business and Economics, Hamilton maintains an impressive cumulative GPA of 4.17, with a perfect 4.33 GPA in Fall 2024. His commitment to his studies has earned him multiple awards, including the KPMG Student Scholars to Business Award and the Chartered Professional and 39 Education Foundation of BC Award. He is actively involved in the TRU Investment Fund Club, which helps students gain real world experience by managing $200,000 of real money in the stock market.
Beyond the classroom, Matthew has taken pride in serving as a mentor and leader on campus. He’s guided first-year TRU athletes as a PACE Leader and supports fellow business students and TRU Volleyball players in their academic and athletic pursuits.
Matthew’s contributions to the community are equally commendable. He has been actively involved in Motionball, raising funds and awareness for the Special Olympics, and has spent the past five years fundraising for local literacy programs through the Raise a Reader program. Additionally, he has volunteered with the Kamloops Volleyball Club for four years and continues to inspire young athletes through his coaching efforts.
“I think this is the most important award any student-athlete can win and it’s a great honour for Matthew and our program to receive this honour. I’m absolutely happy for Hamilton, his transformation from year one to now has been incredible. He’s been great in the classroom with five U SPORTS Academic All-Canadian honours, he’s been great in the weight room, and as a volleyball player he’s transformed himself. To cap it off, he’s become a great leader for us. I didn’t even know some of the things he has done in the community, so it was great to sit down and go through how he has spent his time off the court. Those are things that I think need to be highlighted and illuminated for all student-athletes across the country. It’s exceptional to see someone be great in three aspects of life and that’s what Hamilton has been all about for the last five years.” – Thompson Rivers Head Coach Pat Hennelly
