Dalhousie Tigers men’s volleyball head coach Dan Ota is pleased to announce the commitment of Daniel Dahr, Daniel Pettipas and Derrick Ejeckam for the 2021-22 season.
Dahr, a middle from Valley, N.S., has won two Nova Scotia School Athletic Association (NSSAF) provincial titles with the Cobequid Educational Centre (CEC) Cougars in the 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons. A member of Team Nova Scotia at the 2019 Canada Cup, Dahr has also be a member of Team Nova Scotia’s Canada Games core training group over the last year. He has also been a member of the Truro Tide Volleyball Club for the last three years.
“I am very excited for the opportunity to represent the Tigers at the U SPORTS level,” says Dahr.
A member of the Honours with Distinction list at CEC in 2019-20, Dahr is on track to earn a spot on the list again in the 2020-21 school year. He will be studying science at Dalhousie.
“Dan (Dahr) gives us some needed depth at the middle position,” says Ota. “He’s shown me that he is an effective attacker, and he will continue to round out his game with the Nova Scotia Canada Games program.”
A native of Tracadie, N.S., Pettipas was also a member of Team Nova Scotia at the 2019 Canada Cup with Dahr. A libero, he is a member of the Antigonish Storm Volleyball Club and the École Acadienne de Pomquet Panthers. Named their boys volleyball team’s most valuable player at the end of the 2019-20 season, Pettipas is also a three-time male athlete of the year.
“I am looking forward to starting my studies at Dalhousie, becoming a Tiger and the experiences this new chapter will bring,” says Pettipas.
Pettipas earned both the Lieutenant Governor’s Award and the Principal’s Award for highest academic average in the 2019-20 school year. He will be studying engineering at Dalhousie.
“Dan (Pettipas) is an extremely capable defender at the libero position,” says Ota. “He reads the game particularly well, and I certainly expect him to raise the bar for us defensively. Both Dahr and Pettipas have benefitted tremendously from ongoing training with Team Nova Scotia and the Volleyball Nova Scotia PEP program since last summer. It’s certainly given them a competitive edge over other athletes across the country.”
Joining Pettipas in the faculty of engineering this fall is Derrick Ejeckam. A middle from Gander, Nlfd., Ejeckam suits up for Gander Collegiate’s volleyball team and the Loopers Volleyball Club. A two-year member of Team Newfoundland and Labrador, Ejeckam was a member of the team that won the 2019 edition of Eastern Elites.
“I am glad to be joining the Dalhousie Tigers next year,” says Ejeckam.
“Derrick has a very high ceiling, and I expect him to split time as a middle and opposite with us,” says Ota. “Given his strong work ethic combined with our track record of developing players, I expect him to make big improvements next season. He has benefitted from getting to work with former Dalhousie and Team Canada players Max Burt and Deon Goulding.”
“I’m excited about the additions of these three recruits as it addresses some depth needs, as well as adding talented prospects with good upside,” adds Ota. “Our returning core will be experienced, and we will be capable of beating anyone in our competitive conference next season.”
The 2019-20 season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.