Support4Sport Awards Winners!

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

The Support4Sport Award winners of the night for volleyball are:

Volleyball - volunteer
Michelle Wood
 
Michelle devoted more than 100 hours last year to help improve and grow the sport of volleyball in Nova Scotia. She mentored coaches at the Elite development camp, was an integral part of the Performance Pathway Committee and has done exemplary work at several coaching workshops. Michelle also sat on the hiring committee for a number of key provincial team and Canada Games coaching positions.

Volleyball – official
Geoff Stuart, Halifax
 
Geoff has quickly moved up the ranks as a beach and indoor referee. Last July, Geoff achieved his national beach certification. Geoff was also selected to referee at several high profile events, such as SandJam in Summerside, Beach Volleyball FIVB World Tour Finals (scorekeeper), National Team Challenge Cup, Volleyball Canada 15U/16U national championships, and has recently been selected to referee at the upcoming Canada Games.

Volleyball – sponsor
Sportwheels Sports Excellence, Lower Sackville
 
The company has made a large investment in the sport of volleyball. They have begun carrying a line of Volleyball Nova Scotia clothing as well as a full line of gear and equipment. They have also attended dozens of events all over the province and have quickly become the go-to spot for Nova Scotians looking to purchase volleyball gear

Volleyball – coach
Paul Tufts, Tide Volleyball Club
 
Paul guided the Tide Volleyball Club’s boys team to a 16U Division 2 national championship – the highest finish by a Nova Scotia club team at any level in this sport last year. They also had an undefeated regular season capped by a provincial championship. Paul has been an integral part of the Tide's 14U program, which showed incredible growth last year. He also served as an assistant coach on the Tide's 18U provincial championship squad.

Volleyball – team
Tide Volleyball Club 16U Boys Team
 
The team capped off an undefeated season (25-0) in Nova Scotia by winning the 16U boys Nova Scotia Championships in April 2016 without dropping a set. Shortly after, the squad headed to national championship in Waterloo, Ont., where it posted an 8-1 record and won a gold medal in Division 2 the best result of any Nova Scotia team at any level of national volleyball club championships in 2016.

Volleyball – female team
Courtney Baker, Bridgewater
 
Courtney is simply the best women's volleyball player in Nova Scotia. She has been involved in several national team programs over the years and was recently selected as one of the youngest members of the senior team. Courtney plays volleyball at Dalhousie University where she earned an AUS first-team all-star award while helping her team win an AUS championship and earn a fifth-place finish at nationals.

Volleyball – male team
Malachy Shannon, Halifax
 
Malachy Shannon is a tremendous indoor and beach volleyball player. He is an important member of his high school and club teams, earning a silver and bronze medal in each squad's respective provincial championships. Malachy was also identified at the national team Challenge Cup while representing Nova Scotia, and earned a spot alongside the best in Volleyball Canada's Youth National Development Program.