Excited to play at home

Horton’s Sophie Edgar one of three additions to Axewomen’s 2021-22 roster

Sophie Edgar will achieve a goal a decade in the making this fall when she plays for the Acadia Axewomen volleyball team.

“I've wanted to play for the Acadia women's volleyball team since I saw one of their games in 2012,” the Wolfville resident said in a recent news release.

“I am so excited to have the opportunity to play at a university level with this amazing team.”

The Horton High School student is one of three recent recruits announced by head coach Michelle Wood. Alexia Lemay-Evans from Sudbury, Ont., and Kathryn MacLean from Humboldt, Sask., were the other two new additions.

“Sophie is a very familiar face in our gym. We have had the pleasure of coaching Sophie since she was 13 through our Axe Volleyball club,” Wood said. “Sophie is incredibly coachable, which has been attributed to her growth over the past couple of years. Her noticeable aggressive attack and serve set herself apart from other athletes (recently) as the Axe Volleyball 18-u team won gold at provincials where Sophie earned all-star honours.”

Edgar, an outside hitter, has been a member of the Nova Scotia indoor provincial teams, including the provincial excellence program, and has participated in the 18-under provincial beach program. In 2021, Edgar attended the Volleyball Canada beach ID camp.

She will be pursuing a science degree with a major in biology at Acadia.

“Besides the great professor-to-student ratio that Acadia has to offer for their biology program, I chose Acadia for the women's volleyball program that holds a high reputation for having an amazing coaching staff as well as a successful team both on and off the court.”

Lemay-Evans, a six-foot middle blocker, who Wood described as “fast and dynamic,” has been an honour roll student-athlete for the last three years at Collège Notre-Dame. She will be studying kinesiology.

“I chose Acadia University because of the tight-knit community and family-like atmosphere of the town and campus,” she said. “I also loved the size of the town and how beautiful Nova Scotia was as a whole.”

Lemay-Evans, a member of the Northern Chill Volleyball Club for the last three seasons, has been involved in the Team Ontario Elite program since 2018 and was a member of the 2019 Team Ontario beach program.

“Alexia is a very disciplined all-around student-athlete,” Wood said. “Her journey to accomplish her goal of playing volleyball at the post-secondary level and with Team Ontario is a testament to the hard work she has invested in this sport.”

MacLean, a five-foot-seven setter, was named the Humboldt Collegiate Institute

athlete of the year in 2019, 2020, and 2021 while playing volleyball and basketball. MacLean, who will be studying chemistry at Acadia, said

the Axewomen's culture and coaching staff were big reasons she chose to come to the East Coast.

“The location and educational opportunities provided through smaller class sizes and research programs is also very appealing.”

Wood said MacLean's high volleyball IQ will help her make the transition to

the next level.

“As a setter, she sees the game very well, so right away she will be able to contribute from a tactical standpoint,” she said. “Katie will be a tremendous ambassador for our university, coming in with high academic and athletic honours.”

The Axewomen went

10-5 in the regular season

in 2021-22 before losing 3-1 to Dalhousie in the Atlantic University Sport (AUS) semifinal. The Tigers beat Saint Mary's in the conference final. Taylor Collombin, a fourth-year outside hitter with the Axewomen, was named the AUS MVP.

Edgar's teammate at Horton, Jenna Guy, committed in the fall to the Axewomen.