FALL RIVER: A Fall River volleyball player is excited to have finally put pen to paper for the next part of her sports journey.
The University of New Brunswick (UNB) Reds women’s volleyball team announced Taven Stevenson had signed a U SPORTS Letter of Intent with the Fredericton, N.B.-based volleyball team on Feb. 7.
Stevenson, 17, and listed as five-foot-11 will join the Reds for the 2023-2024 Atlantic University Sport (AUS) women’s volleyball season.
The Lockview High senior is a veteran member of the school’s varsity girls team and helped lead the Lady Dragons to silver at the 2021 School Sport Nova Scotia (SSNS) high school championship.
At the club level, she’s a member of the Fall River Fury. In 2022, Stevenson was part of Fall River’s U18 side that finished fourth at the provincial championship tournament.
Stevenson was one of several Fall River girls on the 2022 N.S. Canada Games team and represented the province at the 2022 Canada Cup.
She has been part of Nova Scotia’s Provincial Excellence Program and Targeted Athlete Program since 2020.
Stevenson said the UNB Reds team culture and competitive environment are what drew her to them.
“When Coach (Richard) Schick shared his vision to have a competitive team, I knew it was something I wanted to be a part of,” said Stevenson. “I’m beyond excited to become part of this team and learn from my new teammates and coaches.”
REDS’ head coach Richard Schick said Stevenson is someone the Reds are extremely excited about,.
“Her experience playing in big matches throughout her young career, at the high school, provincial team and Canada Games team levels, as well as the Targeted Athlete training she’s received, is something that we believe will help her in the transition to the U SPORTS level,” he said.
Stevenson will be studying Arts while attending UNB.
Stevenson says her goals will include helping the team reach the top of the AUS standings and representing UNB at U SPORTS championships.
“I’m a supportive teammate and I always have my team’s best interest at heart,” she said. “I always do my best to help my team succeed in any capacity.”
Schick said the team has great expectations of what Stevenson will bring the team.
“I believe Taven has only scratched the surface of what she’s fully capable of,” said Schick. “She’ll be a strong presence at the net on both the offensive and defensive side of the ball.”
