An Amherstburg athlete is doing big things on the volleyball court at the collegiate level.
Geneva Huisman was named a West Division First Team All Star and Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) West Division Player of the Year following her season as part of the St. Clair College Saints women’s volleyball team. As the Player of the Year, Huisman will also be recognized as a CCAA All Canadian at the CCAA National Championship.
The 6’3” middle blocker says she was surprised with the accolades she received.
“I was really shocked when I found out that I was an All-Canadian and West player of the year,” she said. “It was one of my goals this year to achieve the first team all-star again, but I was so grateful to achieve much more than that! I was so surprised, but really honored and grateful. I got a text from one of my teammates saying congratulations, and I was so surprised I didn’t believe her for a minute.”
Huisman, a graduate of Maranatha Christian Academy, said being the OCAA West Division Player of the Year and an All- Canadian ranks high on her list of accomplishments.
“Being an All-Canadian was something that I thought would be so cool to achieve, but I did know how realistic that goal was. It was definitely an honour to be recognized alongside other amazing, talented female athletes all around Canada,” she said.
The Saints managed to earn a silver medal at the provincials. Huisman is one of the Amherstburg players on the team, as Afften Essenpreis is also on the St. Clair women’s team. Essenpreis is a graduate of North Star High School. Lillian Mereszak, another North Star graduate, committed to the program last year.
“It was an amazing season for myself and as a team. We got all the way to the gold medal match, which is a major accomplishment in St. Clair history,” said Huisman. “We worked really hard all season and kept on getting better and stronger as a team. We continued always working hard through all our practices, and had to push through a couple of challenging games as a team.”
Huisman said it is “an amazing accomplishment” to finish their season as provincial silver medalists.
“We were really aiming for the gold medal during the last game, but unfortunately we fell short of achieving that goal. I am still so happy with how the season played out; it was the furthest we have made it in many years so that alone was a major accomplishment. A silver medal is an amazing achievement that we worked hard for all season.”
Huisman is in her third year at St. Clair College and has been playing volleyball since she was in Grade 6.
“I started playing travel volleyball in Grade 9. Since then, I’ve learned so much and gained so much love for the sport,” she said. “Playing volleyball has taught me how to be hardworking, problem solve, be a good teammate, and how to push through exhaustion and difficult situations. Volleyball allows me to stay active and be a part of a team and motivates me to work hard in other areas of my life as well. I have made so many friendships throughout my years of playing, and I always have so much fun at practice and games because of my amazing teammates.”
Noting she plans on staying active in volleyball either playing or watching the sport, Huisman offered many thanks to those who have supported her along the way thus far.
“I would like to thank my teammates for being amazing friends and always being there for me on and off the court. I would like to thank my coaches for sharing their love and knowledge for the sport of volleyball with me,” she stated. “I would like to thank my family and friends for always supporting me and being there for me at all my games and cheering me on.”
Amherstburg resident wins OCAA West Division Player of the Year
By Ron Giofu
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