Men's Volleyball - Recruiting bonanza continues

With three high profile recruits already committed, the Mount Royal University (MRU) Cougars men’s volleyball team continues to add to their stable of talent, committing three more gifted student-athletes to the mix.  

Jordan Bright

The 5’11” Jordan Bright hails from Lethbridge, Alberta and has had a standout high school career at the Lethbridge Collegiate Institute, collecting three provincial high school volleyball medals, as well as first team league all-star honours this past season.

Head coach Shawn Sky says Bright is everything the team is looking for in an incoming recruit.

“Bright is an outstanding student-athlete,” says Sky.  “He’s very intelligent and has an exceptional perspective as to what he wants to achieve in life. I have no doubt he will be successful. From a volleyball standpoint, we are really looking forward to working with him. We love his on court personality and the way he runs his offense.”

In addition to being outstanding athletically, Jordan also stars in the classroom, bringing a 92 per cent high school average to the table, as the rookie will enroll in engineering in the fall. Bright says the decision to choose Mount Royal was an easy one.

“MRU is compatible with my educational ambitions with an excellent engineering program and has just as successful of an athletics program that can push my potential as a volleyball player as well,” said Bright.

“When I look back on my time at MRU I hope to have found myself having had a lot of fun and success, both on and off the court. I’m really looking forward to coming to Mount Royal in September.”

Sean Peister

Joining the likes of Jordan Lantz and Stephen Jones, Sean Peister adds another legitimate big man to the heart of the Cougars lineup, as the 6’6” 190 lbs. Peister will enroll in Open Studies in the fall.

Peister comes to the Cougars after a bronze medal finish at the 4A Alberta Provincials with the Bev Facey High School Falcons last season, and has also spent time as a member of Team Alberta‘s U16 and U17 squads.

“We are excited to see how Sean’s game translates to the post-secondary level,” says Sky. “I think Sean is going to be a very successful middle at MRU. He’s committed to doing all the little things you need to in order to make the transition and win rallies at this level.”

Sean says his main motivation for coming to Mount Royal is the opportunity to compete for a national championship.

“I have played volleyball for four years now and in that time I have never won at a national tournament. I was motivated to choose MRU because I believe the group of guys we have for next season can win that national championship. I wanted to play for a school that had a reputation for excellence on the volleyball court as well as one that met my needs academically. I really like the programs philosophy and I'm excited to see what we as a team can do on the court.”

Kyle Matthyssen

Last, but not least of the new batch of recruits is libero Kyle Matthyssen.

Matthyseen spent his high school career at Rundle College High School here in Calgary, winning a bronze medal in the 2A Alberta Provincial championship last season; he was also a member of the Canuck Stuff U18 club squad.

Matthyseen says he chose Mount Royal because of the competitive nature of the program, as well as the opportunity to win a provincial and national championship.

“I’m motivated to come onto the team and meet new friends that push each other to become better,” says Matthyseen.

“I want to be known as one of the best libero’s in the league, and as a team I want to win the league title and compete at nationals. I believe I have a chance to do all of that at Mount Royal.”

Coach Sky thinks Matthyssen will be a great fit with the Cougars.

“Kyle really developed over the course of the club volleyball season. His first contact is fantastic. I was really impressed with how he controls the court on service reception. His work ethic and composure are exactly what we are looking for.”

Kyle plans to enroll in Open Studies come September.

With Travis Banks, Lucas Stepanko and Stephen Jones already committed to the Mount Royal come September, the 2010-11 edition of the Cougars squad is gearing up to be one toughest teams in the province and throughout the nation.

Congratulations and welcome to the Cougars family!