Edmonton, February 28, 2016 –  The Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference is pleased to announce that Ashley Zacharias of the Briercrest College and Seminary Clippers Women’s Volleyball team, has been selected as the 2015-16 South Rookie of the Year. Zacharias was selected for this award based upon her performance during the ACAC regular season.

Ashley Zacharias is a BA Business Administration student-athlete from Waldheim, Saskatchewan. The setter’s performance was a huge part in leading Briercrest to their best regular season since joining the ACAC (19-5 in league play, first place in the ACAC South and 4^th ranking in CCAA). She led the ACAC with 819 assists this season. This is an ACAC record, besting the past record by almost 80! She also ranked 17^th in the ACAC South with 21 service aces. This helped Briercrest to an ACAC leading 1024 kills and 255 service aces.

“Ashley’s work ethic, desire, and positive attitude are an inspiration to all of her teammates,” Briercrest women’s volleyball head coach said. “She works so hard to make her teammates look great in every situation and has developed an amazing ability to turn challenging 1^st contacts into great scenarios for her hitters. Her preparation and hard work in the weight room in the summer coming into her first season has really paid off, and it is awesome to have a first-year player who really gets what it takes to be successful at this elite level! Ashley has run an outstanding offence this season and makes great decisions on the court. She has a confident humility that is rooted in her faith in God, and it is awesome to see Ash live that faith out daily in all she does. It really is a blessing to work with her as she is such a great learner and desires to push herself to be better each day!”

“Ashley has stepped in a challenge position as a rookie and has done so in a way that has helped the program without it missing a step,” Briercrest Athletic Director Nigel Mullan said. “She has shown toughness and maturity to learn on the job and do so with a smile on her face.  It has been a great honor to have her represent the program and to do so in a way Briercrest has been more than proud of.”

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