The King's Connection Magazine Volume 24 // Number 1 | Page 20
ATHLETICS NEWS
Veteran players
lead women’s
volleyball to
playoffs
Left to right: Porcha Diggs, Alyssa Downing,
Anita Birkland, Danielle Munster. Missing: Staci Stanic
L
eadership, drive, tenacity and team spirit—that’s how
Director of Athletics and Women’s Volleyball Head Coach
Grace Scott describes the five members of the Women’s
Volleyball team who have finished their careers as Eagles
Athletes this past season. PORCHA DIGGS, ALYSSA
DOWNING, ANITA BIRKLAND, and STACI STANIC,
fourth- and fifth-year athletes graduating this year, as well as
DANIELLE MUNSTERMAN a second-year athlete recently
recruited to play in the Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS)
league, each contributed to the team’s record-setting season.
therapist, Birland pursuing a master’s in speech therapy,
Stanic graduating from a BEd secondary education, and
Musterman continuing her volleyball and academic pursuits
at MacEwan University—they take with them the success of
building a volleyball team for the future.
The team finished the season with a 10-0 streak that took
them to the first round of the Alberta College Athletics
Conference (ACAC) playoffs in Grande Prairie, Alberta.
Diggs adds, “Volleyball brought to life my passion and King’s
helped me to grow in my faith.”
“Playing volleyball gave me the opportunity to develop
my leadership skills and get to know myself better,” says
Downing. “My time at King’s is shaped by my time as an
Eagle and I will carry the memories and friendships I made
with me.”
As each of the athletes look forward to their next adventure—
Diggs studying nursing, Downing training as an occupational
Badminton soars
in first year
E
agles Athletics is celebrating its first year with
Badminton as part of the roster. The first year saw
many successes with a number of novice badminton athletes
honing their skills and fostering a positive sports atmosphere
on campus. In total, eight athletes participated in men’s and
women’s singles, doubles and mixed doubles games. Head
Coach NAEEM HAQUE, along with assistant coaches
ANDREW NG and GRACE BOX, guided the team in
its first year.
Haque was nominated for a Canadian Collegiate Athletics
Association (CCAA) Coach of the Year award for his
contribution to the first year of the program.
FINA MURPHY, second-year psychology major and first-year
badminton player, says, “Naeem saw the potential we had as
18 /// The King’s Connection /// Summer 2014
a team and worked the entire
season to help us improve.
Head Coach, Naeem Haque
Speaking as the captain of
the team, I have seen such an
incredible improvement in the skills of the team as a whole.”
On March 8, King’s hosted its first badminton tournament
with NAIT, Concordia and Edmonton District Badminton clubs
in attendance and over 100 individual athletes participating.
Building on the success of the tournament and on the year
as a whole, for the 2014-15 season, the badminton program
will expand to include play against three other institutions in
the Alberta College Athletics Conference (ACAC)—NAIT, Olds
College and Concordia University College of Alberta.