Canada West announced its men's volleyball postseason awards on Friday, naming the University of Regina's Andrew Nelson the Canada West Rookie of the Year after a spectacular first season with the Cougars.

After starring at Regina's Campbell Collegiate, Nelson came to the U of R and had an immediate impact for the Cougars in his first season of CIS eligibility. He came off the bench in the team's first two Canada West matches before collecting 21 kills against Saskatchewan on Nov. 3 in his first match as a starter, and never looked back.

Nelson had at least 10 kills in all but four of the 16 matches he started and eclipsed the 20-kill mark in three different matches, including a school-record 29 against Brandon on Nov. 25. His average of 3.48 kills per set ranked sixth in Canada West this season and stands as the third highest in the U of R single-season record book. For the season, Nelson collected 230 kills, 75 digs, 29 blocks, and 10 service aces.

“Andrew provided our team with a huge offensive boost this season,” Cougars head coach Greg Barthel said. “He contacts the ball very high and is able to hit a variety of angles, and as he gets stronger I have no doubt he'll be able to hit the same angles with more power. He also put up a good block and was able to improve his serve and his defence as the season went on.”

Nelson becomes the first University of Regina player to earn Canada West Rookie of the Year honours. Four Cougars were named Great Plains Athletic Conference Rookies of the Year, including Kent Wiebe (1985), Nathan Richea (1995), Ryan Bohn (2000), and Rusty Jenner (2001).