WINNIPEG – Trinity Western University setter Derek Epp (Saskatoon) has been named the U SPORTS men's volleyball Player of the Year.
 
Epp capped his Spartans career in outstanding fashion, as the veteran setter flourished in a unique role as a setter within a 6-2 system. Epp led TWU to a U SPORTS best .330 hitting percentage as a team and led all Canada West primary setters in points per set, with 1.1, and kills per set, with 0.53. As an attacker, he had an individual hitting percentage of .500. In leading TWU, Epp was a 12-0 in the regular season as a starter before extending his perfect record into the playoffs with seven straight wins to help TWU capture the Canada West championship.
 
The Player of the Year award adds to an impressive collection of U SPORTS honours for Epp, which also includes being named a First Team All-Canadian in 2019-20 and being named to the U SPORTS All-Rookie Team in 2016-17 (when he was playing with the University of Saskatchewan). 
 
Beyond the Canada West season, the 2021-22 campaign saw Epp, who already has experience with Canada's senior national team, help TWU, who was representing Canada, to a silver medal at the Pan-American Cup in the Dominican Republic. He also posted a record of 5-1 on TWU's trip to California in November when the Spartans picked up wins over the likes of UCLA (currently ranked No. 1 in the NVA/AVCA Division I-II Coaches Poll), Long Beach State (No. 3), UC Santa Barbara (No. 6) and Pepperdine (No. 7).
 
Including preseason, exhibition, regular season and playoffs, Epp lost only one match all year against university competition, which was in a five-setter against Long Beach State.
 
Epp is the seventh Spartan men's volleyball player to win the U SPORTS Player of the Year award, following in the footsteps of Josh Howatson (2006-07), Ben Ball (2011-12), Nick Del Bianco (2014-15), Ryan Sclater (2016-17), Adam Schriemer (2017-18) and Eric Loeppky (2019-20). 

Past U SPORTS Player of the Year Winners
 
Ben Josephson – Head Coach
"A year ago, he wasn't able to train two days in a row and nobody knew what the illness was and he was told he'd never play competitive volleyball again. Now, he's the player of the year. The way he overcame that is why he is the player of the year. His ability to take on challenges with passion, but also with a methodical approach is what makes him a great setter. That blend of laser focus, yet free creativity is what always amazes us with Warden. His pre-match journal is as thick as an encyclopedia. He is meticulous on details, but somehow he is still able to play in a creative free-flowing way. That balance is super rare and I think that's one of the things that makes him a truly special setter. He's so focused and he knows exactly what he's trying to do, but he's very adaptable in creating on the fly.
 
"On top of that, what we've asked him to do this year – playing this random and very complicated system – takes advantage of (fellow setter/outside) Mathias (Elser) more than Derek. We're leveraging Mathias's strengths and putting Derek in non-strength areas and asking him to play well. Knowing who Derek is, we felt that was an easy ask and he'd be able to do it. He had to give up control and we're asking him to change the game as a setter late but we're not going to give you the opportunity to have flow and feel throughout the match. It was a huge ask of Derek and to have him play this well, while doing so many more things, is a tribute to how special of a player and person that he is. I'm really thankful that other teams and coaches noticed how special his season was, even though it wasn't your traditional setting season. This year, Derek wasn't just a great setter, he was a great volleyball player. That's another great evolution in his game as well as another extension of his character."
 
U SPORTS Player of the Year Nominees
CW: Derek Epp, Trinity Western (Winner)
OUA: Logan House, Brock
RSEQ: Ludovic Martin, Laval
 
Epp and the No. 1-seeded Spartans open the 2022 U SPORTS Men's Volleyball Championship on Friday as they take on the host University of Manitoba at 6 p.m. (CT). All games can be viewed for free worldwide on www.cbcsports.ca.
 
About Spartan Athletics
As official members of U SPORTS, the Spartans currently compete in 13 sports in the Canada West conference, including women's and men's soccer, volleyball, basketball, hockey, cross country and track & field, as well as women's rugby sevens. TWU also competes as an independent team in men's rugby. Since TWU entered U SPORTS in 1999, the Spartans have won 12 U SPORTS team championships and 29 Canada West team championships.
 
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