The University of the Fraser Valley men’s volleyball team has added four transfers from the Canadian college ranks.
The school announced the signings of Zach Wikenheiser (Lethbridge College), Eduardo Ferreira (Humber College), Dimitrije Djordjevic (Capilano College) and Stefan Halas (Columbia Bible College) for the 2020 Canada West season.
Wikenheiser joins the Cascades after four highly decorated seasons at Lethbridge College, and will challenge for the starting setter role at UFV. His Kodiaks won back-to-back Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) silver medals in 2019 and 2020, and finished fourth at the 2020 CCAA national championships.
“Zach is a veteran player who is coming in with a lot of experience at the college level, most recently a silver medal at ACAC’s,” Bennett noted. “He has played in important matches and has the drive to improve his game for the next level. I am looking forward to watching his growth and his leadership as we work towards the next stage of his career.”
Ferreira spent the past two seasons with Toronto’s Humber College Hawks, helping the squad to an Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) silver medal in 2019, before upgrading to gold in 2020. He averaged 2.2 kills and 2.6 points per set during the 2019-20 season, and capped the campaign by leading the Hawks to a silver medal at the CCAA national championships.
“Eduardo is coming from Brazil with a great volleyball background as well as a high-level college program at Humber,” said Bennett. “Eduardo will bring a high skill level as well as a passion for the game. I am very happy to have him as part of our program and to work with him to achieve his goals athletically and academically.”
Djordjevic had a highly decorated youth career in his native Serbia. In 2014 and 2016, he was named the best player in his hometown of Pirot, and he captained his high school team to a fourth-place finish at the national championships in 2016. He played in the Serbian Superleague in 2017 and 2018, and was a Serbian junior national team invitee in 2018.
This past season, Djordjevic was part of a Capilano Blues squad which won the Pacwest conference championship and went on to defeat Ferreira’s Humber squad in the finals of the CCAA national tournament.
“Coming from Serbia he will bring a unique view of the game and a great work ethic,” Bennett said of Djordjevic. “I am excited to see Dimitrije grow into a high-level player in Canada West, and to give him the platform to propel his volleyball career after university.”
Halas doesn’t have far to go to join the Cascades, having spent the past two seasons with Abbotsford’s Columbia Bible College Bearcats. The Maple Ridge product joins former Bearcats teammates Graham Walkey and Noah Bouius on the Cascades’ roster, and is coming off a 2019-20 season which saw him post 1.15 kills and 1.9 points per set in Pacwest regular season action. His prep career was highlighted by a bronze medal at the 2018 national championships with the Fraser Valley Volleyball Club.
“Stefan will bring some great depth to the middle position and push everyone on the team to improve,” Bennett said. “I have seen Stefan over the last season and I believe that he can be a valuable asset to our group. I am looking forward to working with him in the middle position as his work ethic will allow him to reach his potential.”