The Vert & Or have made a good start to their preparation for this season; The Sherbrookois won the Smola Cup tournament, which brings together the top six men’s volleyball programs in the country, during that competition, which took place in Kingston, Ontario.

Sherbrooke won its three games, including its second, against the Trinity Western University Spartans, the reigning USPORTS champions and defeaters of the Vert & Or in the recent national final.

Mount Royal University and the University of Alberta were also attacked by Sherbrooke residents.

“We got off to a good start with good physical preparation; We want to be successful at the end of the season. It’s eight months of competition, that’s a long time. We also emphasized mental preparation; It’s a big challenge to maintain the same level of concentration for a whole year. The preparation for the competition, the technical and tactical aspects that will accompany the games,” said Fethi Abed, named head coach par excellence in Quebec for the last two seasons.

The influence of Portelance and Hollands

The Vert & Or will have the same or almost the same orientation as last season.

“Sébastien Lapensée has left and joined our coaching staff and we have integrated young players into our core. We have five new additions to the team. We have to find the balance between a team that performs well and the desire to give our young players experience for the future. That is the challenge for me this season. »

Sherbrooke can therefore count on Jonathan Portelance and Zachary Hollands again, among others. Both players were part of the Canadian NextGen team that won the NORCECA Pan-American Cup in Mexico last August, defeating Brazil 3-1 in the final.

Sherbrookois Yoan David, Elliot Collard, Jérémie Doyon and Guillaume Rivest are back. David, who is in his fourth year of eligibility, is the oldest member of the group.

“Jonathan and Zach are playing a lot of volleyball this summer and that is very important. They have reached a new level with what they experienced this summer. They are leaders on our team and coach, advise and encourage their teammates during training and games. They will help the team and the recruits a lot,” analyzed Fethi Abed.

“We have good recruits. Given time, they will get the veterans to stand out. I like this internal competition. I’m waiting for the recruits to adapt, and then they’ll push the others. We have about the same team as last year; All that remains to be decided is who will replace Lapensée as attacker. Guys have to work to earn their position. »

Hugo Ouellet (Saint-Jean), a four-man attacker, Émile Barrette (Sherbrooke) and Arnaud Bouchard (Saint-Jean), two centers, promise, said Fethi Abed.

Francis Del Vecchio (Saint-Jean), a left-handed attacker, and Grégoire Mercier-Noël (Sherbrooke) are also among the newcomers to watch.

Pressure from the reigning champions

As defending champions, the Vert & Or are eagerly awaited by their opponents this season. And Fethi Abed knows it.

“Our goals don’t change; We want to win the provincial championship and return to the Canadian championship. And have a better ranking with the Canadiens. Last year we were second, we hope to do better this year. It is the goal. We’re going step by step,” said the head coach.

The competition will once again be very tough at the RSEQ conference, said the latter.

Montreal and Laval will once again form strong teams, while the University of New Brunswick and Dalhousie will be ones to watch.

“In Montreal there are two or three graduates; Laval will have almost the same team, a bit like Dalhousie and UNB. There is no game that is won in advance. »

Sherbrooke begins its season this weekend by hosting Dalhousie twice, Friday night and Saturday.