A talented young athlete from Alida has committed to play volleyball at the university level for next season.
The University of Winnipeg Wesmen women鈥檚 volleyball team announced that Cordelia Patton, a 6-foot-1 left side with the Oxbow Prairie Horizons School, is their first commitment for the 2021 recruiting class.
She will enroll in kinesiology and applied health, and have five years of eligibility.
鈥淚 choose the University of Winnipeg because they had the schooling program that I wanted to enroll in. Winnipeg is a new city for me, and I was looking for something new after high school,鈥� said Patton.
The program also has a special team culture that caught her eye, and she was really impressed with their coach Phil Hudson.
鈥淗e has a very successful background, and I think he has a lot to offer the university,鈥� said Patton. 鈥淗e has only been coaching there for a couple of years, and I think he is helping the girls by turning the program for the better.鈥�
Patton said she had a leadership role placed upon her when she arrived at the school for her Grade 9 year. From that point on, she welcomed the role.
鈥淚 came in as the out-of-towner in Oxbow, but as I grew with them it was 鈥榊ou鈥檙e the biggest player on the court, so you need to take this step,鈥欌�� said Patton, who hails from Alida. 鈥淟eadership has always been a thing for me the past four years.鈥�
She admitted she wasn鈥檛 sure what role the pandemic would play on her ability to land a post-secondary playing opportunity, since she won鈥檛 get to play in her Grade 12 year, but her success in Grade 11 helped overcome the lost season.
鈥淟ast year was definitely a breakthrough year for me. I probably performed the best I ever have, so I was fortunate to go through that to show universities.鈥�
Patton began sending videos and emails to coaches at the end of her Grade 11 season. She said she started hearing back from coaches just as the 2020 club season was getting set to start last spring.
鈥淚t was my goal by the end of December (2019) to have my highlight video made,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t was about a month into COVID that I started hearing back from everyone. It was very weird because when COVID hit we were supposed to be going to provincials in club, and I was supposed to go to Best of the West in Edmonton where universities would鈥檝e been. So it was kind of like 鈥極h, I don鈥檛 get to do that either.鈥� That was really hard to get past.鈥�
Her Oxbow teams have medalled in Saskatchewan 3A provincials in each of her years at the school, capped by a provincial title in 2019.
Patton has also competed for Oxbow鈥檚 Black Knights Volleyball Club and in the Sask. Volleyball provincial program. She said her spike touch is now nine feet, nine inches, a three-inch increase from club season.
That length at the net is one of the things that caught Hudson鈥檚 eye.
鈥淐ordelia is an excellent, all-around athlete who has a tremendous skill set,鈥� the head coach said. 鈥淪he plays the game well above the net and possesses a fast, powerful arm swing that will give her instant success at the U Sports level.鈥�
Patton credits the Black Knights coaches and the Oxbow club volleyball program for playing big roles in her development.
She hasn鈥檛 been able to make it to Winnipeg to view the campus due to COVID-19, but she is looking forward to the start of the season next fall. She鈥檒l spend next few months focusing on the physical side of the sport, so she can be in the best shape of her life some September.聽
