Duchesneau, Rohr combine for MVP honours after anchoring triumphant team efforts this season
Burlington, Ont. – Leading their respective teams both on the outside and as a facilitator, a pair of veterans have ventured to top honours on the court. Queen’s Hannah Duchesneau and Brock’s Sara Rohr, in anchoring their teams’ top regular season records, have soared to most valuable player honours to headline the award winners and all-stars from the 2023-24 Ontario University Athletics (OUA) women’s volleyball season.
Most Valuable Player – Hannah Duchesneau, Queen’s
Hitting her stride in her third year, Queen’s outside hitter Hannah Duchesneau takes home player of the year honour after leading her Gaels to record-setting season.
Duchesneau, an arts and science student from Sharon, Ont., had her fingerprints all over the Gaels 18-win season. Not only did she help her team shine, but her individual numbers also jumped off the page. Her 241 total kills were good for fifth in the OUA, while her 3.60 kills per set and .288 hitting percentage also earned her top-five marks.
It wasn’t just at the net that Duchesneau shone; however, as she also was a bright spot defensively with 113 digs and 30 total blocks on the year. The junior also chipped in with 19 aces and 15 assists for the Tricolour, en route to her first major award and all-star selection.
Duchesneau becomes the first Gaels player to win the top OUA honour.
Most Valuable Player – Sara Rohr, Brock
Setting the tone for the regular season’s top-seeded squad, Sara Rohr soars to player of the year honours for the Brock Badgers.
A grad student studying health and physical education, Rohr led the OUA with 10.9 assists per set, good for a full two assists more than the next on the list. That mark was also good enough for second in the country, and her 643 total assists put her in a tie for first in the province. Her precision play sparked her Badgers offensively, as she led her squad to the second-highest hitting percentage in the OUA at a .253 clip.
An all-star in both 2021-22 and 2022-23, Rohr now makes it three straight seasons among the conference’s first team selections, and in further solidifying her as one of the program’s all-time greats, the Milton, Ont. setter also now holds the Brock record for total career assists, passing Ally Fast’s previous mark of 2,474 in a game against Waterloo on February 16th.
Rohr joins Laura Condotta, the OUA West Player of the Year in 2018-19, as the lone Badgers to earn the honour for the St. Catharines squad.
Rookie of the Year – Olivia Julien, McMaster
Olivia Julien had an outstanding first season for the Marauders and has been rewarded with the OUAs top rookie nod for 2023-24.
The life sciences student was one of McMaster’s key offensive threats, despite it being her first year, and she ended the season with 160 kills and 193 points, averaging 2.54 kills per set in 18 matches played. In addition to her lofty total kills and kills per set, the Toronto, Ont. local ranked in the top-20 in almost every statistical category across the OUA, including total attacks (507), service aces (22), service aces per set (0.35), receptions (286), digs (146), and digs per set (2.32).
In a season filled with shining moments, perhaps her brightest came in a January 13th match against Western, wherein the outside hitter recorded a season-high 19 kills and contributed 21.5 points to the team’s victory that weekend.
When all was said and done, Julien, who earns the rookie of the year nod for the fifth time in McMaster’s history, managed double-digit kills in six matches, including a string of six straight in the second half of the season.
Coach of the Year – Ryan Ratushniak, Queen’s
It was a record-setting season for Queen’s, and helping spark the success from the sidelines is OUA coach of the year, Ryan Ratushniak.
The Gaels matched the Brock Badgers for the best record in the conference this regular season, piling up 18 wins to just two losses. Their wins came on the heels of a high-flying offence that paced the provincial pack with 17.3 points per set. They ranked in the top three in kills (888; 3rd in OUA), kills per set (12.33; 2nd in OUA), and assists per set (11.44; 2nd in OUA), while also topping their conference counterparts with a .270 hitting percentage, 2.44 service aces per set, and 2.48 blocks per set, showcasing the ability of Ratushniak’s squad to affect the game in multiple facets.
Finishing the year on an 11-match winning streak, the Queen’s coach, who becomes the third bench boss in program history to take home the honour, also led his club to the second most sets won (54) and the second fewest sets lost (15) this year. In addition to Ratushniak’s recognition, he also saw Duchesneau earn major award honours and a trio of all-star selections from his Tricolour squad.
Award of Merit – Avery Kelly, Waterloo
An all-star on the court and a standout off of it, Waterloo's Avery Kelly did just about everything for her team this season and is honored with the 2023-24 award of merit as a result.
Statistically, Kelly topped the charts for the black and gold with 179 kills - good for 2.42 per set - and contributed 215 points. Additionally, she led the team in digs with her 175 total and 2.36 per set.
If that's not impressive another, the arts and business (legal studies) student is just as active on campus. She is the president of the Interuniversity Council, representing fellow student-athletes, serving as a voice for her peers, and working toward making the university a better place. Kelly also serves as the Team-Up student coordinator, leading the program that organizes and schedules sessions with local schools to bring varsity athletes to present and engage with the community. Over the years, she has led over 20 team-ups and has played a vital role in growing the program by creating connections with various stakeholders.
The Calgary, Alta. native is also the Rise-Up coordinator, overseeing a peer mentorship program that connects incoming first-year student-athletes with an upper year mentor. As the program leader, Kelly recruits and coordinators mentors and pairs them with first-year athlete groups, while also organizing monthly events and interactive activities with the athletes to help them build relationships and skills.
Kelly's all-around efforts have made her the first Waterloo player to win the award of merit.
The complete list of 2023-24 OUA women’s volleyball award winners and all-stars is as follows:
Most Valuable Player – Hannah Duchesneau, Queen’s; Sara Rohr, Brock
Rookie of the Year – Olivia Julien, McMaster
Coach of the Year – Ryan Ratushniak, Queen’s
Award of Merit – Avery Kelly, Waterloo
First Team All-Stars
Hannah Duchesneau, Queen’s
Sara Rohr, Brock
Jenna Woock, McMaster
Julia Murmann, Toronto
Amanda Siksna, Queen’s
Paige Owen, Nipissing
Sullie Sundara, McMaster
Devin Gerth, Western
Ashley Ditchfield, TMU
Gigi Markotic, Brock
Lauren Veltman, TMU
Olivia Zhu, Toronto
Emily Foest, Brock
Alexa Shields, Guelph
Second Team All-Stars
Shea Baker, Queen’s
Claire Stewart, Western
Avery Kelly, Waterloo
Olivia Julien, McMaster
Sadie Dick, Brock
Aliah Admans, Windsor
Sarah Zonneveld, TMU
Oceane Raymond-Leduc, Nipissing
Briar Crerar, Guelph
Yaila Sealy, Windsor
Delaney Watson, Toronto
Ellie Hatashita, McMaster
Ava Ebert, Western
Jessica Reynolds, York
All-Rookie Team
Olivia Julien, McMaster
Delaney Watson, Toronto
Lael Harrison, Western
Madison Seo, Waterloo
Emma Baruchelli, Brock
Kathryn Beresford, Trent
Victoria Herrington, York
