Edmonton, February 22^th, 2017 – The Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) is pleased to announce that Samantha Zacharias of the Briercrest College Clippers has been selected as the 2016-17 ACAC Women’s Volleyball Player of the Year for a third consecutive year. This prestigious award was presented to Zacharias at the 2017 ACAC Women’s Volleyball Championship Banquet held on February 22^nd at Lakeland College.

The outside hitter’s performance was a huge part in leading Briercrest to their best regular season since joining the ACAC (20-4 in league play, second place in the ACAC South and 8^th ranking in CCAA). She led the CCAA in kills with 347 (second with 4.03 kills/set), service aces with 99 (and 1.15 aces/set), and points with 459.5 (and 5.3 points/set). Her 13 blocks ranked her 32^nd in the ACAC and 178 digs ranked her 12^th. She also had 14 assists which ranked her 30^th in the ACAC.

Zacharias reached 1,041 kills in her career this year, making her the third women’s volleyball player in ACAC history to reach 1,000 in a career. She also broke her own ACAC record (set in 2014-15) with her 99 service aces this season.

Briercrest women’s volleyball head coach Nolan Weinmaster shared his thoughts on Zacharias being selected for this award.

“Sam has been a dominant force for us all season long, but especially in this second half of the season,” he explained. “She has taken her leadership and execution to another level, to lead our team through the adversity of losing one of the top scorers in the league to injury. Sam’s continued growth as a person of character, as a leader, and in her relationship with Jesus is a delight to witness and it is awesome to see how she is never satisfied, but always striving to get better. She has again realized more of her potential in each aspect of her game this season. The records she sets and the success she has are just a bonus outcome to the investment she makes in her process of getting better each day as a person and a player, and allowing God to work in her life to shape her into the person He wants her to be!”

Zacharias is a fourth year BA Business Administration student. She is originally from Waldheim, SK, but now calls Caronport, SK home. This is the third straight year that she has been named ACAC women’s volleyball Player of the Year, having also been named CCAA women’s volleyball Player of the Year in 2014-15.

Zacharias will now represent the ACAC in the CCAA Player of the Year selection process.