Athletes of the week

Jeff DeMeza
Jeff DeMeza

Jeff DeMeza
Men’s volleyball

Outside hitter Jeff DeMeza had a stellar weekend for the men’s volleyball team. He recorded 18 kills, two service aces and six digs Friday in their five-set win against the University of Toronto Varsity Blues and then put up 14 kills and nine digs in Saturday’s five-set victory over the Ryerson Rams.

DeMeza said a lot of his success comes from the play of second-year hitters such as Joren Zeeman, Michael Amoroso and Niko Rukavina because teams are forced to focus on blocking them. He said he’s impressed with how they’ve developed into primary offensive threats for the Gaels.

“They’ve not only taken pressure off me, they’ve surpassed me,” he said. But he isn’t concerned about who winds up with the most kills, he said.

“As long as we win, I’m happy.”

DeMeza, in his fifth season with the Gaels, is one of the few veteran presences on a team largely composed of first- and second-year players. He said that lack of experience throughout the lineup has caused the Gaels to play down to the level of their competition at times.

“The team dynamic overall has displayed some more immature character just in terms of consistency,” he said. “All season, we’ve struggled with coming out and playing to our level.”

DeMeza said he’s excited to be a part of this year’s edition of the Gaels who he said make up for in talent what they lack in experience.

“Pound for pound, each player on this team has more talent than I’ve ever played with.”

DeMeza said his future after Queen’s is still up in the air, but he may try and join former Queen’s setter Devon Miller to play volleyball professionally in Europe.

DeMeza said his favourite part of playing volleyball at Queen’s has been the bonds he’s formed with his fellow players.

“I’m going to take away 20 to 25 really good friends that I expect to be tight with for the rest of my life,” he said. “I think that’s the best part of the team, the community.”

DeMeza said this year’s team is special because they may be the last one to play in the current Bartlett Gym.

“It will be nice to be the last team to close out the old barn,” he said.

DeMeza said he’s excited about the future of Queen’s sports under Director of Athletics and Recreation Leslie Dal Cin.

“In the short time she’s been here, she’s done wonders for all of Athletics,” he said. “I think every team’s moved forward. I’m very excited to come back as a spectator and watch how they do.”

­—Andrew Bucholtz

Kristin Smith
Women’s hockey

The life of a rookie is never an easy one, but Queen’s forward Kristin Smith is settling in nicely with the women’s hockey team. Coming out of last weekend’s tough double-header against the University of Toronto Varsity Blues, Smith notched two goals, one shorthanded.

A kinesiology student, Smith said she decided on Queen’s because of the strong academic reputation and hockey program.

“I came down for the fly-down day and really liked a lot of what I saw,” she said. “Academics, first of all. I also really liked the girls and I knew the program was really strong for skill development, which I was looking for. I really wanted to go somewhere I could improve as a player.”

Five months into the school year and six months after being pinpointed as being one of Queen’s most promising new recruits, Smith has no regrets.

“I love it,” she said. “It’s really busy. School-wise, it’s going good and hockey-wise it’s been great. Great team attitude, great play, great coaching.”

Smith said the team’s positive outlook was encouraging for a young player and has helped both her and the other rookies develop into an integral part of Queen’s hockey.

“I think it really makes a difference that the team is really accepting to me and my fellow rookies,” she said.

Her favourite aspect of playing for Queen’s is the closeness of the team.

“The atmosphere of being at the rink and having fans is one part of it,” she said. “But our team has a small roster so it’s really family-oriented and I like that.”

As for her weekend performance, Smith said it was bound to happen.

“I’ve hit a lot of crossbars and posts lately so my teammates have been encouraging me and it finally clicked.”

Having now shaken off their mid-season slump, Smith said the Gaels have the ability to go all the way.

“I think we’re definitely coming together right now,” she said. “We’ve always been a really good team and, the way we’re playing now, I think we can win the OUA.”

—Amrit Ahluwalia

All final editorial decisions are made by the Editor(s)-in-Chief and/or the Managing Editor. Authors should not be contacted, targeted, or harassed under any circumstances. If you have any grievances with this article, please direct your comments to journal_editors@ams.queensu.ca.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Skip to content