Ricoh Award Winners

Nearly 600 members of the Nova Scotia sport community gathered at the World Trade and Convention Centre to see Sport Nova Scotia present the 20th annual Ricoh Sport Awards. The prestigious sport recognition event recognized the achievements of over 200 athletes, coaches, officials, sponsors and volunteers from across the province.

The Ricoh award winners of the night for volleyball are:

Volunteer of the Year
Theresa Marie Underhill, Halifax
 
Theresa was a giant part of the bid to make Halifax the host of the women's national team; simply put, there would have been no bid without her. As bid committee leader, she brought together an outstanding group of people from the public and private sector as well as the sport community. She had a vision, did the heavy lifting, and wrote a world class bid.
 
Referee of the Year
Claude Daniel, Halifax
 
Claude got involved in volleyball through coaching and, although he loved coaching, he gave it up to focus on becoming a high level referee. He is the Nova Scotia Volleyball Referee Association's most recent national-level referee. He has worked diligently over the last 12 years to reach this level and is respected by coaches and players alike.
 
Team of the Year
Micaela Sabean, Bridgewater and Victoria Haworth, Waverley
 
Victoria and Micaela would be the envy of any pirate. When they go to the beach, they almost always dig up gold. Last year, they won the 18U Nova Scotia beach volleyball championships and they 18U Atlantic beach championships. The pair also travelled to Toronto where they finished fifth in the 18U Division 1, Tier 1 of the national championships.
 
Coach of the Year
Sherri Archibald, Aylesford
 
Sherri was the head coach of the Axe Volleyball 16U team that won a silver medal at the provincial championships. She also guided Team Nova Scotia's 16U squad  that won a gold medal at the 17U Eastern Elite championships.
 
Female Athlete of the Year
Courtney Baker, Bridgewater
 
Courtney had a tremendous competitive season with a number of outstanding results. She suited up for the Bridgewater Chill 18U Girls team that won silver at the provincial championships and finished fifth at nationals. Courtney Baker went on to play an important role on Canada's Junior National Team that achieved an impressive 4th place finish in the Women's International Junior division of the US High Performance Championships in Des Moins Iowa. She also took her game outside and earned a silver medal at the 18U provincial beach volleyball championship. She continued to shine at the university level, earning all-rookie honours as she helped Dalhousie win the AUS title. 
 
Male Athlete of the Year
Nick Faulkner, Truro
 
Nick won provincial championships with two teams in 2015. He was a member of the 16U Truro Tide provincial championship squad and suited up for the Cobequid Education Centre High School Team that won the NSSAF provincial championship. Nick did more winning with the 16U Team Nova Scotia that won gold at the Eastern Elite Championships and earned MVP honours of the 17U Boys Division at this event.
 
 
Sponsor of the Year
Halifax Water
 
Halifax Water has been a valued partner of Volleyball Nova Scotia since the beach volleyball park open in 2013. They have been incredibly generous with their support which included bringing water into the facility and building custom showers for the facility. Volleyball Nova Scotia is incredibly thankful for the support Halifax Water has given and continues to provide.