For the fourth time in five years a Niagara College volleyball player has been named one of the top student-athletes in Canada, as Friday, February 24th saw Jordan Koslowski of the Knights women's volleyball program named a 2016-17 CCAA All-Canadian. Koslowski was presented with the honour at the OCAA awards banquet being held in Windsor, Ontario.
Koslowski is the 14th Niagara Knight to earn the prestigious accolade, joining Josiah Dixon and Lorelle Weavers as Niagara College recipients for the 2016-17 season. She is the first Niagara College women's volleyball player named an All-Canadian, joining Blair Cudmore (1994-95), Justin Ross (2003-04), Shayne Petrusma (2012-13), Daniel Groenveld (2013-14), and Jeff Scott (2015-16) all who previously earned the award in men's volleyball.
"We are extremely proud of Jordan being named a CCAA All-Canadian, a first for our Women's Volleyball Program" said Niagara College director of athletics and recreation Matthew Davies. "Her commitment to excellence sets a high standard as we look for our nine intercollegiate athletic programs to continue taking the next steps towards National prominence."
The Hamilton native is in her second year of post-secondary play. In her rookie season she was selected to the OCAA All-rookie team, and was named the Niagara College Knights overall rookie of the year.
Koslowski elevated her play in 2016-17, as the Sherwood Secondary School grad and Mountain Volleyball Club alum captured the OCAA West Division Scoring title with 267 points and an average of 4.2 points-per-set. The 267 points is a single season scoring record for the Knights women's volleyball program. The five-foot-ten dynamo also broke the Knights single game scoring record on January 29th when she recorded 26 kills against the Conestoga Condors.
"I'm so surprised and shocked. This is an amazing feeling" said Koslowski minutes after receiving the award. "This has absolutely been a goal of mine, to be named an All-Canadian and have my name and face on the wall in our gym. But it's also something I never really expected, I'm just so happy."
In addition to being named an All-Canadian, the awards banquet also saw Koslowski named an OCAA women's volleyball first-team all-star, and presented with the West Division scoring champion award. Fifth-year middle blocker Linnea Davis and third year libero Kennisis Vansoelen join Koslowki as Niagara Knights women's volleyball players selected as 2016-17 OCAA all-stars.
"I'm proud of Jordan's efforts. She carried us through multiple games this season" said Niagara College women's volleyball head coach Nathan Janzen. "I think her leadership on and off the court really propelled her to win this award. She's a great all-around player. It's not just scoring, it's her serving, passing, blocking everything. I'm excited to see such a young athlete who's still improving play at this high a level."
Koslowski and the rest of the Niagara College women's volleyball program open the 2017 OCAA women's volleyball championship being hosted by St. Clair College at 3:30pm on Friday, February 24th with an opening round matchup against the Cambrian Golden Shield. The winner advances to the medal round, while the loser is relegated to the consolation bracket. For more information on the 2017 OCAA women's volleyball championship please visit the championship website at http://ocaa.com/championships/wvbl/2016-17/index
