MVB SIGN 2ND RECRUIT FOR 2009
For immediate release: January 29, 2009
Kamloops-One of the key’s to being a successful program is the constant recruitment of top talent. Pat Hennelly has learned this quickly over his four years as head coach of the Thompson Rivers University WolfPack men’s volleyball team. Hennelly is pleased to announce the signing of his second recruit for the fall of 2009.
Following up on the September signing of middle Alex Davis of Semihamoo (White Rock, BC), The WolfPack are pleased to announce the commitment of 18 year old Matt Krueger of MEI (Clearbrook, BC). Krueger is mainly a left side hitter but has also played libero.
“We had him attend our high school elite camp the past couple of summers,’ says Hennelly. “It is one thing to see him play in ‘club’ and in high school, but to have him come in and work with him individually was a bonus. Matt is a very smart, versatile player. He’s not big physically (6’0”). That’s not big for our team. He’s smart, has very good ball control and is a quiet leader.”
Krueger led MEI to three provincial championships the last three seasons.
“Coming to the summer camp really helped me make my decision easier to come to TRU,” he says. “ I got to know the coach as well as the campus. I have a lot of respect for Pat Hennelly and everything he has done at TRU.”
Krueger was a member of Team BC in 2007 and 2008 where he was a teammate of Davis. As a member of the BC U-16 team, they placed first at the Western Elites (2007) beating Alberta in the final. He was named the BC ‘team leader’. Last summer (2008), he played U-18 as they placed seventh.
“It was more of a learning experience playing at a higher level,” Krueger states. “Trying to find out all of my weaknesses and then improving on them. I would say my strength has to be my leadership. I try to demonstrate to others that anything is possible if you don’t give up. We were down 14-12 in the 5 th set at the Provincials this year. Our team never quit and we managed to win the title.”
“He has a skill set very similar to Behlul Yavasgel (4 th year, outside hitter, Aydin, Turkey)” explains Hennelly. “ He will have to compete at some point for the libero spot initially though. It will probably be h is first chance to get on the floor. I think the skills we recruited him for (passing, defence, ball control) are also libero skills. He’ll be in the mix with Kyle (Donen, 3rd year, White Rock, BC) and Spencer (Reed, red shirt, Prince George, BC).”
Krueger plans to take Sciences with an eye to becoming a Physiotherapist down the road. With the WolfPack being pretty deep in some positions, he doesn’t think a slow development process is out of the question. ‘I know that participating in practices would help me learn a lot as well as improve for future years. Also, concentrating on my grades wouldn’t be a bad thing either.”
Hennelly admits that the signing of Krueger will leave a lot of his Canada West counterparts shaking their heads. “ I did change gears a bit in my thinking,” he says “Matt flew under the radar of a lot of recruiters who thought he would go play college for a couple of years. But I firmly believe that he can perform well at the CIS level and will be a benefit to our program.”
“I am very excited to become a member of the Wolfpack, “ Krueger adds. “And to play for such a great coach…hopefully we can be a contender for a National Championship.”