Dalhousie Tigers men’s volleyball head coach Dan Ota is pleased to announce the addition of Jake Hagen and Adam Spragg to the men’s volleyball team for the upcoming season.
Jake Hagen, a 6’4” setter from Surrey, BC was recently named a top 15 graduating player from British Columbia. A member of the Fraser Valley Volleyball Club for the last four seasons, Hagen has a U16 indoor provincial and national title under his belt. A British Columbia provincial team member since his U15 year, he also placed second in the U16 beach volleyball nationals.
As a member of the Semiahmoo Secondary School boys’ volleyball team, Hagen helped his team to a third place finish at the Fraser Valley Zone championships in the 2013 season. An all-star every year he has played, Hagen was named the boy’s most outstanding volleyball player and the athlete of the year in his grade 11 year.
“I couldn’t be more excited about coming to Dalhousie,” says Hagen. “To be a part of the Tigers volleyball program is incredible. I can’t wait to help my team fight for a national championship.”
“I’m very excited to welcome Jake to our program, says Ota. “He has some size for a setter, and that’s something we have not had much of during my time. He plays for the Fraser Valley Volleyball Club which has produced many excellent players over the years. Jake’s also been training at the Volleyball Canada Centre of Excellence so I feel confident that he has been exposed to a sound training routine. He also has the ability to swing from the outside which gives him some versatility which I’m a big fan of. Overall, he’s a great prospect and I think he can blossom into an excellent CIS setter.”
Hagen was honoured as the top all-round student in his grade 11 year and has been accepted to the management program at Dalhousie.
Adam Spragg, a 6’0” setter from Gilford, ON, has seen great success as a member of the Aurora Storm Fury Volleyball Club system. A member since 2009, Spragg has helped his teams to two provincial titles, culminating in a 26-1 record at the last three Ontario provincial club championships.
As member of his high school volleyball team (Bradford District High School), Spragg helped them to a Georgian Bay Secondary School Association championship title in 2011. He’s been chosen the team’s MVP for three years in row.
In 2012, he helped his Region 5 Indoor team to a fifth place finish at the Ontario Winter Games and earned a silver medal as a part of the beach team during the Ontario Summer Games.
“I am very excited about becoming a Tiger and am looking forward to playing under Dan (Ota),” says Spragg. “Coming from a small town in Ontario, I am really looking forward to coming to Dalhousie and have an amazing university experience.”
“Adam is a player I’ve been watching since he was 16,” says Ota. “He’s not the biggest guy out there, but he has a knack for making players around him better. Having watched him play for the Aurora Storm club, his team consistently finds ways to win games against bigger and more talented teams. I’ve seen him play at the setter and libero positions and he’s shown that he’s a fighter and is prepared to do anything he can to help his team. Adam comes with a winning attitude and I think our program will benefit from that.”
An honour roll student, Spragg has enrolled in Dalhousie’s kinesiology program.
“We have a great pair of players in Jake and Adam, who will immediately make our practices more competitive and I think that they both have the ability to help us on the competition court in the very near future,” adds Ota.
The Tigers claimed their 35th AUS title in the 2013-14 season. Head coach Dan Ota was named the AUS Coach of the Year for the 12th time in his career.
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