Sabourin Sets Sights on Red Deer
by ACAC Sports Writer Curtis J. Phillips
Selected MVP at the 2012 Manitoba High Schools Athletic Association Boys AAA Volleyball Championships, Alex Sabourin led the Roys of Gabrielle-Roy Regional College over Flin Flon's Hapnot Collegiate Institute Kopp Kings 25-16, 19-25, 15-11.
He was also recognized by his peers with the Dairy Farmers of Manitoba Players' Choice Award which is chosen by the players attending the tournament.
With such accolades, it was evident that the Saint-Adolphe, Manitoba resident was bound to step up to the next level.
His first year of post-secondary student/athlete experience (2013-2014) was as a member of the Les Rouges de l'Université de Saint-Boniface.
As part of the Manitoba Colleges Athletic Conference (MCAC), Sabourin's team competed against four other teams within Winnipeg with the lone road trip to Brandon, Manitoba to spike off against the Assiniboine Community College Cougars.
"I love traveling but nearly all of the games were in Winnipeg," recalls Sabourin, who was also a provincially recognized badminton player in high school.
To appease his travel bug, in stepped his high school coach Pascal Guenette.
Guenette had had a strong connection to the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC), having spent five years in Alberta playing volleyball for the Keyano College Huskies (2008-2011) and NAIT Ooks (2006-2008).
"Pascal (Guenette) talked to me about Keyano," recalls Sabourin, who has split his career between the setter and libero positions. "It would take some convincing of my parents to let me go, as it was far away. But then Pascal's mom talked to my mom and told her how great a place Keyano and Fort McMurray is and that it would be a good place for me to go and grow."
Sabourin's first year (2014-2015) with the Huskies would see him playing all 90 sets while racking up 172 digs, 13 kills and five service aces.
"The first year was a learning process," said Sabourin, 21, the Huskies failing to qualify for playoffs with a regular season record of 12 matches won 12 matches lost 48 sets won 42 sets lost. "The ACAC is much stronger than (MCAC). There, the top two or three teams are dominating and the others are not competitive. Also here (ACAC) you get to travel a lot."
In his second year wearing Huskies colours (2015-2016) the northern Alberta school upped its game, winning 19 matches while only losing two matches; qualifying for the ACAC provincials hosted by the NAIT Ooks in Edmonton with the Huskies falling to perennial powerhouse Red Deer Kings 25-19, 25-23, 17-25, 25-12 in the gold medal match.
Part of that silver medal team were Winnipeg natives Riley Delavau and Tristan Therrie.
"It was great that we brought up some of my friends to play," said Sabourin of Delavau and Therrie, who combined for 315 kills, 236 digs and 18 service aces. "During my three years here now, I have made a lot of friends. It feels great that you get to know so many people at the college."
Spending majority of his court time in the libero position, Sabourin said of the current No. 3 Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association ranking and ACAC 14-team best 22 matches won 2 matches lost performance: "To be honest I didn't think we could compete with last year's record but after the first couple of weeks, I knew that we could do something special."
Sabourin said that one day he plans to open his own "renovation's company" but for now he is focused on building his way to a possible ACAC championship banner.
2017 ACAC Men's Volleyball Championships are scheduled for February 22-25, 2017 in Red Deer.
Click here for more information on the 2017 ACAC Men's Volleyball Championships.