POWELL BRINGS EXPERIENCE, MINDSET TO ELEVATE STING

The Seneca Sting are pleased to announce that Matt Powell has been named the men's volleyball head coach.

Powell brings a wealth of coaching and playing experience throughout Canada including a number of stops in the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA).

Powell is the former head coach (men's volleyball) at Northwest Polytechnic in Grande Prairie, Alta., of the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC). Prior to moving to Alberta, Powell was an assistant coach with the Humber Hawks and the Mohawk Mountaineers.

Born in East York, Powell is looking forward to returning to his roots, having previously resided in North York as a youth.

"Seneca is widely known as one of the largest institutions in Canada with a wide array of academic opportunities. Depending on the academic offering at an institution, you may run into problems having the right program for a prospective athlete. This will not be a problem at Seneca."

Powell brings a successful pedigree to the Sting, having captured an OCAA championship (2023) and CCAA silver medal (2023) behind the bench and an ACAC bronze medal (2013) on the court.

A former student-athlete at Keyano College (Fort McMurray, Alta.) and Brandon University (Brandon, Man.), Powell is well positioned to build and foster relationships with student-athletes.

"I think the most important aspect of this is the ability to relate to the athletes you're coaching. From balancing academics and athletics to relating to specific high-pressure situations in matches, that common experience makes relaying information a lot easier."

This experience in a variety of situations is something Powell plans to lean on as he helps student-athletes navigate post-secondary education while playing high-level sport.

"One thing you tend to prioritize as you progress in life is time management. I think you learn early on as a student-athlete that planning your time accordingly, prioritizing the work that needs to be done and staying consistent will help you achieve the goals you have set individually and as a team."

In addition to coaching at the post-secondary level, Powell has held leadership positions in the club volleyball system, most recently with the South Peach Volleyball Club in Grande Prairie as well as with the Brandon Volleyball Club, Fort McMurray Thunder and Melville Steel City Attack. These stops have each played a part in helping develop Powell as a coach where he continues to perfect his approach to teaching the sport.

"I am thankful to have had several great role models to learn from in past experiences. Coaching is a copy-cat profession. You tend to take bits and pieces of other coaches' material and brand it into your own formula for success. The more experiences you have in big matches, the more opportunities to learn you'll have. I'm just thankful for each opportunity I've been given in the past that has helped shape me into the coach I am today."

Manager of Varsity and Operations, John Sharpe, instantly saw Powell as the next coach of the Sting from both his resume and how he conducted himself during the hiring process.

"Matt's resume speaks for itself. He has experienced a variety of situations both as a player and coach and I'm ecstatic to have Matt join the Sting Family. From the outset, Matt stood out from the group (of candidates) with his maturity and his approach to leading future Sting teams. I feel our (men's volleyball) team is well positioned to experience success in the near future."

Powell will have some work in reshaping the roster and implementing his vision, but Powell already has a plan and is looking forward to summer training to get started.

"I think a realistic expectation as we adjust to new personnel is to make the playoffs. If you can get into the playoffs, anything is possible. The priority will be to relay expectations for the group and instill a positive team culture where everyone knows their role and strives to contribute regardless of what that role is. If we can get that buy-in immediately, I think we will be able to improve quickly."

Tryouts for the men's volleyball team will commence the second week of September. The Sting will begin the regular season in October.

Source: Seneca Sting