West and Donovan to join volleyball squad this fall

(Halifax, N.S.) The Dalhousie Tigers, along with men’s volleyball head coach Dan Ota, are excited to announce the commitment of Evan West and Michael Donovan.

Both West and Donovan play their club volleyball with London Volleyball Club, in London, ON, and won 17U provincial and national bronze medals in 2018.

A London, ON native, Donovan is a 6’5 left side player who was named to the Canadian Youth National Team in 2018. At the 2018 national tournament, Donovan was named a 17U all-star, in addition to taking home a bronze medal. In 2016, Donovan won a National Team Challenge Cup gold medal with Team Ontario. In December, Donovan was selected for the 2019 Team Ontario Elite Program and will be travelling to France with the team in March.  

“Michael is a blue-chip recruit who I have been watching for a long time, and he has shown me enough that I know that he can excel at the U SPORTS level,” says coach Ota. “With his continued growth it was no surprise to see Michael named as a tournament all-star at club nationals, and he looked at home on the court with the national U18 team last summer. I really look forward to working with him to help him take his game to new levels.”

Donovan is eager to join the Tigers in the fall stating, “I am very excited to be joining the Dalhousie men’s volleyball team and I can’t wait to begin this new chapter in my volleyball career.”

West is a 6’6 middle blocker from Ilderton, Ontario. As part of Team Ontario, West won a gold medal at the 2017 16U National Team Challenge Cup in addition to racking up multiple all-star awards at the high school and club level in the last year. The Medway High School student will be studying business management at Dalhousie.

“It is a tremendous opportunity to play volleyball for the Dalhousie Tigers,” says West. “I am looking forward to developing as both an athlete and student under the guidance of Coach Dan Ota.”  

Coach Ota believes West has a bright future with the Tigers. “Evan is a great addition to our roster as he adds depth at a needed position for our team. I have been impressed with how much he has improved in the short time that I have been watching him. I think that Evan will be a very good middle blocker at the U SPORTS level and if he continues to improve the way he has thus far, he should be able to challenge for play time in his first season.”

The Tigers finished the first half of the 2018-19 with a 3-5 record. They travel next to Montreal on January 18 and 19.