KAMLOOPS, B.C. – Move over Mark Kolodziej, Randy Gingera, and Andy Cameron, and make room for
Graham Vigrass.
Vigrass, a third-year right side from Calgary, joined that constellation of Dinos men's volleyball stars Sunday when he was named the tournament MVP following the Dinos' fourth national championship title at the Tournament Capital Centre in Kamloops, B.C.
His performance over the weekend was, in a word, exceptional. Twice receiving player-of-the-match honours, Vigrass averaged better than 20 kills per match, hit 33 per cent for the weekend, and was solid defensively with 24 digs and seven blocks.
“Graham had a fantastic weekend, and we knew we would need that from him,” said Dinos head coach
Rod Durrant. “He had to be a big influence, and I'm so happy for him.”
In proper perspective, his tournament MVP honour is made more impressive after the journey he took in the 2009-10 season.
After spending his first two campaigns with the Dinos as a solid attacker in the middle, Vigrass moved to the right side for the first time in his career early in the 2009-10 season, learning a new position on the fly. He took to the new position immediately and was a key component in the Dinos' 3-0 win over Alberta early in the season. His numbers skyrocketed, and he finished the season with a career-high 141 kills.
Just as he was hitting his stride, however, Vigrass was diagnosed with mononucleosis and sat out 10 weeks, not seeing any action with the Dinos from Nov. 7 until Jan. 22. Despite missing six of the team's 18 conference matches on the season, he finished second on the team in total kills and led the way with 3.28 per set – an average that jumped up to 4.43 during the national championship tournament.
A man of few words, the junior national team veteran let his play do the talking as he led the Dinos to their first national title since 1993.
“He's a tremendous athlete, he's a tremendous character kid, and he's just going to get better,” said Durrant. “I can't wait to see what happens in the rest of his career.”
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