CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. – The newest member of the Holland College Hurricanes men’s volleyball team is trading one island for another.
Riley O’Keefe, a six-foot-two middle from Mount Pearl, N.L., has committed to Holland College for the 2018-19 Atlantic Collegiate Athletic Association (ACAA) season.
“I decided that Holland College would be a great school to start my journey in post-secondary education because of its great reputation in academics, as well as athletics,” he said.
O’Keefe comes with plenty of high-level playing experience, having competed with his club team, the Mount Pearl Huskies, at the 18-and-under Canadian volleyball championships in Edmonton in May and in 2016 in Saskatoon with the Eastern Edge.
Locally, he was part of the Mount Pearl Senior High Huskies squad that captured the gold medal at VolleyFest 2017, Canada’s largest school-based volleyball tournament.
Hurricanes associate coach Max Arsenault describes O’Keefe as an explosive front row presence with the tools to be very effective in ACAA competition.
“He is definitely a player who loves the game, wants to improve and asks a lot of questions,” said Arsenault. “He is going to come into our program and make an immediate impact on what is already a strong roster with many returning players from last year.”
O’Keefe possesses a 40-inch vertical jump and strong blocking and hitting techniques. He also brings hard work, focus, positivity and leadership to the court and he’s eager to help the Hurricanes earn its second conference championship in three years.
“Hopefully the fans can expect to see lots of success and exciting plays from the whole team,” he said.
The Hurricanes open the regular season Sunday, Nov. 4, against the Université Sainte-Anne Dragons.
Holland College also hosts the 2019 ACAA men’s and women’s volleyball championships.
