Ask Our Alumnae

It’s almost time to join our alumnae and ask questions about their post-secondary and semi-professional/professional playing experience while gaining valuable advice on how to make it to the next level of play. You’ll have to register online in order to participate. Here’s tonight’s guest speakers:

Tori Stirling (2009)

Tori played for DRVC from 13U-18U before heading off to Brock University where she remained for 5 years as a leftside and outside hitter. Tori was joined in her third year by her younger sister, Lauren, where the duo became a strong court presence for the Badgers.

Lauren Stirling (2011)

Lauren a DRVC alumna who went on to play volleyball at Brock University for 4 years followed by the University of Windsor in her 5th and final year. In her rookie year Lauren started as a right-side hitter then transitioned to setter for her remaining years. She is a three-time OUA All-Star and captained the Brock Badgers for 3 years and her Windsor Lancers team in her final year. Upon completing her post-secondary career, Lauren took a year off then joined the One Volleyball semi-pro league where she has played for the past 3 years until the COVID pandemic cancelled the 2020 season.

Mackenzie Prins (2013)

Mackenzie attended the University of Guelph at Humber where she earned her Bachelor of Applied Science in Justice studies. During her time at Humber, she was an outside hitter with the Hawks where she was fortunate to experience two National championship tournaments with the powerhouse Hawks team. Mackenzie was also a member of the Team Ontario beach program. Mackenzie is a great example of an athlete who remains passionate about the game and when she returned to the area after graduation, Mackenzie became one of our summer camp coaches and an assistant coach in our rep program for 3 years before becoming the head coach of this year’s 17U Ruthless team.

Lucia Kalmeyer (2013)

Lucia won two National Championship titles in her final years with DRVC and after completing her 18U season, she headed south of the border to play middle blocker with Grand Rapids College where she helped her team win two straight regional titles and a conference title after completing an undefeated season. Lucia longed to return to the Durham area where she could have some familiar faces in the crowd and joined the Durham Lords team where she was an impact player during her two years earning herself a 2016-17 OCAA All-Star team accolade. Lucia was an assistant coach with the 2019 OVA Regional High-Performance program where her 14U girls’ team won the gold medal in the Regional Cup, and is another athlete whose passion for the game brings her back to the club where she has been assisting our 18U Crusaders for the past few years.

Aleksandra Steins (2016)

Aleks played for two years with the D1 Niagara University Purple Eagles in New York State before transferring closer to home to play for the York University Lions. As a 6’6″ middle blocker, Aleks has always been a standout on the court but her game play solidified her presence where she consistently ranked at the top of her Lions team in kills and blocks. In 2018 Aleks played semi-pro for Soul Machine, the Canadian Premier League champions, and was drafted again in 2019. She had planned to play out her final year of post-secondary eligibility with the Humber Hawks, but COVID-19 has since put that season on hold. During her club years, Aleks was a member of the Ontario High Performance Centre Athlete Development program and two-time silver medalist at the Canadian National Championships.

Avery Pottle (2016)

Avery is a class of 2016 alumna who has made her mark in western Canada where she is completing her 5th and final year with the Thompson Rivers University Wolfpack. This Uxbridge native helped the TRU Wolfpack women’s team achieve its best showing in women’s volleyball history and become a nationally ranked team. Avery majored in biology and will now attend medical school where she hopes to pursue a career in obstetrics.

Megan Winter (2017)

Megan is from our class of 2017 and is studying concurrent education at Nippissing University. Megan played with DRVC in 12U then returned to the club at 15U where she completed her club career. In her first year, Megan was the recipient of the Lakers Pride award that recognizes a student-athlete who demonstrates excellent character and sportsmanship.

Rebekah Hara (2018)

Rebekah is a highly versatile player in the OUA. When she played club, she had played many positions but in her senior club years became a regular fixture on the Right side. She was recruited to Lakehead as a Left Side hitter but quickly showed her versatility and was put in as libero where she now primarily plays. A torn ACL in her 17U year put Rebekah’s club career on hold while she underwent surgery and rehabilitation. Rebekah’s resilience shone as she went on to be a standout player in her final years of club volleyball and at the post-secondary level. Rebekah is studying kinesiology at Lakehead University.