This was supposed to be a rebuilding year for the men’s volleyball team at Georgian College.
The Grizzlies have eight new players compared to last year’s squad that made it to the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) quarterfinals, a high turnover rate even in college sports, where student athletes are usually completing two- or three-year programs.
But after a 6-1 record to start the year, the Georgian youngsters are showing head coach Reid Saxby that the volleyball program is not only still competitive, but a potential force in the provincial circuit.
“We were looking at this year as sort of a… restructure year,” said Saxby. “We’ve definitely gotten a lot younger.”
“We have a younger middle core that’s developing at this point, and we have two young setters that we’re developing, and as they develop and improve, I think we’ll get stronger.”
The relative inexperience on the court is perhaps offset by Saxby’s influence, as the head coach is entering his ninth year with the team. Saxby took over the head coach position in 2015, after spending 12 years as an assistant with the women’s team.
During his tenure, Saxby has led the Grizzlies to an all-time record of 118-18 record, which was highlighted by an OCAA bronze medal.
The Grizzlies started this season with a six-game winning streak before losing to Centennial College on Tuesday in a five-set marathon, leaving both teams tied with Durham College for first in the east division.
“Centennial was very strong last year,” Saxby told The Barrie Compass. “They made the final four last year and have a lot of returning players with some experience.”
“I think we were evenly-matched going in, and we knew it was going to be a long night. It really could have gone either way. Both teams played very well.”
Among the early season bright spots for Georgian has been outside hitter Ryan Vreizma, originally from Midhurst, Ont., just outside of Barrie.
Saxby tried to recruit Vriezma, who he coached at the club level in Barrie, right out of high school, but he opted to attend Nippissing University, where he played on the volleyball team for two years before coming to Georgian this year.
“So, this is his first year with us, but he has some U Sports experience, which is valuable,” said Saxby.
As such, it’s been a homecoming of sorts for Vriezma, who is already thriving in his hometown school. He’s among the provincial leaders in kills per set (3.37) and service aces per set (0.74).
Next up, the Grizzlies will travel north on Highway 11 this weekend to take on Canadore College in North Bay, Ont., who Georgian beat in four sets last Saturday.
That being said, Saxby isn’t taking the upcoming matchup for granted, emphasizing the level of respect he has for Canadore’s program.
“They’re a common rival for us,” said Saxby. “In the last five years, we’ve been first or second in the east division, and Canadore is quite often number two.”
Canadore is 4-3 to start the season, putting them in a tie for fourth in the standings. The top eight teams in each division qualify for the postseason, which gets underway in February.
