(London, Ontario) – On Wednesday evening at the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) banquet in Welland, Falcons outside hitter Janelle Albert (Brampton, ON) was named the CCAA Women's Volleyball Player of the Year. This is the first time in Fanshawe Volleyball history that a player has received this honour.

Albert led the Falcons to their first ever undefeated OCAA season (22-0) and ultimately a Provincial Championship title, their first in 16 years. She was a complete player for the Falcons, averaging 4.6 points per set and an impressive .355 kill percentage on offense. She led the league in service aces per set (1.02), added 155 digs defensively and had 170 kills, 54 service aces and 18 blocks. Albert was named the OCAA Player of the Year and championship MVP.

"Janelle is a truly elite teammate and student-athlete, she puts the team ahead of herself and leads by example when it comes to what is expected on and off the court", said Head Coach Sean Pellow. "She is talented, and she works extremely hard to improve her craft. Her mental, physical, technical and tactical balance makes her one of the most focused, confident and talented players in our league."

Fanshawe's Manager of Athletics, Nathan McFadden stated that "First and foremost, Janelle has great character, and she combines that with tremendous skill and a very high compete level. She is a true leader and is extremely deserving of this honour."

The Fanshawe Women's Volleyball squad was ranked in the CCAA top 10 the entire year, and are #4 in the nation going into this week's National Championship. The Falcons will play the #3 Douglas Royals from the PACWEST in a CCAA quarterfinal match on Thursday, March 7 at 3pm EST. The Championship is being hosted by Niagara College in Welland.