Siksna’s third career major OUA accolade part of Queen’s award trifecta

Burlington, Ont. – With a trio of major awards going the way of the Queen’s Gaels, for both on and off court efforts, the Kingston squad was as decorated as they come this season. And leading the way for them, much like he has in past seasons, was Erik Siksna, whose second most valuable player nod headlines the award winners and all-stars from the 2023-24 Ontario University Athletics (OUA) men’s volleyball season.

Most Valuable Player – Erik Siksna, Queen’s

Much like he has throughout his OUA tenure, Queen’s Erik Siksna has earned himself some hardware this year, taking home most valuable player honours in 2023-24.

Finishing third in the OUA in hitting percentage at .339, the commerce major from Markham, Ont. was a threat from the outside at every turn. He also finished in the top-10 in both kills per set (3.50; 6th in OUA) and in total kills (217; 9th in OUA). He was more than just a threat at the net; however, as he also topped the conference with 52 service aces and 0.84 service aces per set, while also recording 16 assists, 87 digs, and 24 total blocks.

The former OUA rookie of the year and now two-time MVP helped the Tricolour to another strong season, as his efforts helped the team finish the year with a 15-5 record and the No. 2 seed for the OUA playoffs. Finishing fifth in the conference in sets won and tied for first in the OUA in sets lost at just 22, Siksna’s efforts were key to a potent overall performance from Queen’s in 2023-24.

Siksna’s most recent honour marks the fifth time a member of the Gaels has earned the MVP moniker in program history.

Rookie of the Year – Brady Paterson, McMaster

A Baden, Ont. local, Paterson helped McMaster finish the regular season at the top of the standings with a 16-4 record as part of his award-winning rookie campaign.

The first-year social sciences student averaged 1.81 kills per set with 121 total kills in his debut campaign with the two-time defending Forsyth Cup champions. The outside hitter also finished the year with nine service aces, 23 blocks, 27 assists, and 63 digs. Paterson recorded a season-high 12 kills in a January 13th tilt with Western, while contributing a combined 27 points to the Marauders’ victories that weekend. He also totaled more than 10 kills in each of those outings.

Proving very quickly to be a key cog in the impressive McMaster offence, Paterson becomes the eighth Marauder in the program’s illustrious history to claim OUA rookie of the year honours.

Coach of the Year – Cal Wigston, Guelph

The 2023-24 season was one of the most successful in the history of the Guelph program and head coach Cal Wigston was a big part of that team success.

Guiding the Gryphons group from the sidelines, Wigston led his team to a 15-5 record, which was good for fourth in the OUA during the regular season, and ultimately, sparked a spot in the semifinals. That lofty win total tied a program-high, matching the feat accomplished 14 years prior in 2009-10. The team also witnessed their first postseason victory since 2019-20 following their strong regular season.

While seeing a pair of his player earn all-star nods – Jonathan Pickett and Joshua Glasbergen – the veteran head coach also led his team to top marks in the conference in kills per set (11.74), hitting percentage (.290), total blocks (184), and blocks per set (2.48), showcasing an all-around game that sparked the team’s lofty success.

Dale Iwanoczko Award of Merit & Champion of EDI – Lhexen Rabit, Queen’s

Throughout Lhexen Rabit’s five-year OUA career, spanning both TMU and now Queen’s, he has been an impactful student-athlete both on and off the court.

This season, Rabit embraced new challenges of a master’s program, joining a new team, and was able to thrive in the environment. More importantly, he did so while contributing to a positive student-athlete experience for himself, his teammates, and the broader varsity community at Queen’s and across the conference.

While at Queen’s, the Hamilton, Ont. local and men’s volleyball team leader for Queen’s has facilitated conversations around I-EDIAA topics and supported Queen’s Athletics & Recreation on I-EDIAA initiatives. As part of the OUA apprentice program this past summer, the Hamilton, Ont. local helped grow BIPOC and women emerging leaders in sport, contributing to initiatives such as the inaugural Diversity in Sports Conference.

A former student athletic advisory council co-chair and varsity academic mentor while at TMU, meanwhile, Rabit has been left his impact across the OUA thanks to his ongoing efforts in support of BIPOC athletes, women athletes, and 2SLGBTQ+ athletes, and many other equity seeking groups, all helping the grad student’s nod as recipient for both the Award of Merit and Champion of EDI Award.

The complete list of 2023-24 OUA men’s volleyball award winners and all-stars is as follows:

Most Valuable Player – Erik Siksna, Queen’s
Rookie of the Year – Brady Paterson, McMaster
Coach of the Year – Cal Wigston, Guelph
Dale Iwanoczko Award of Merit – Lhexen Rabit, Queen’s
Champion of EDI – Lhexen Rabit, Queen’s

First Team All-Stars

Erik Siksna, Queen’s
Maxime Gratton, McMaster
Jonathan Pickett, Guelph
Darian Koskie, Windsor
Brendan Mills, McMaster
Grant Reddon, Brock
Hunter Arulpragasam, Toronto
Blake Fenwick, Western
Zig Licis, Queen’s
Alex King, TMU
Trent O’Brien, Nipissing
William McIntyre, Waterloo
Jacob Ferland, Brock
Robbie Fujisawa, McMaster

Second Team All-Stars

Joshua Glasbergen, Guelph
Markus Law-Heese, Windsor
Dennis Cota, York
Owen Kelly, Western
Tyler Pavelic, McMaster
Devin Cooney, Brock
Liam MacArthur, Waterloo
Jayden Talsma, Toronto
Nicolas Badalato, Trent
Jasraj Nijjar, York
Lhexen Rabit, Queen’s
Tyrus Cuculick, Nipissing
Andrew Gallant, RMC
Ben Kerkhoff, McMaster

All-Rookie Team

Brady Paterson, McMaster
Jack Svendsen, Nipissing
Quintin Greenidge, Windsor
Josh Chapman, Toronto
Justice Smith, Nipissing
Jared Kuiken, McMaster
Alex Brdarevic, Queen’s