STU Tommies Welcome Georgetown's William Rittenhouse to Men's Volleyball Program

Fredericton, N.B. – The St. Thomas University (STU) Tommies Men's Volleyball team has added another promising player for the upcoming season with the commitment of William Rittenhouse of Georgetown, Ontario.

The 6-foot-1 outside hitter joins the Tommies from Defensa EN and will pursue a degree in English Language & Literature at STU.

For Rittenhouse, St. Thomas offered everything he was looking for in a university experience.

"St. Thomas was a perfect pick for me," said Rittenhouse. "The program, the team, the facilities. I'm sure I will excel on the court and in class with the small class sizes and dedicated staff helping me improve."

Known for his positive attitude and team-first mentality, Rittenhouse values building strong relationships both on and off the court.

"I try to be very positive on the court, helping lift others and celebrating their moments," he said. "A team's relationship outside the gym is just as important as on the court, so I keep in touch with my teammates and build strong relationships with them, even if I am a little reserved."

Head coach Henri Mallet believes Rittenhouse's commitment to improving will make him a valuable addition to the Tommies program.

"What really stood out to us was William's eagerness to learn," said Mallet. "He's still relatively new to high-level volleyball, but his rate of improvement has been impressive. We believe his best volleyball is still ahead of him, and we're confident he has the potential to become an important part of continuing the success we've built here at St. Thomas."

Rittenhouse has set ambitious goals for his rookie season, including competing for conference Rookie of the Year honours while continuing to develop physically and technically.

"Ideally, Rookie of the Year," he said. "But I want to grow as much as I can as early as I can. I'm aiming to put on a lot of muscle to help me jump higher and hit harder. Technically, I really want to improve my defence and blocking so I can become a great, well-rounded player."

Looking beyond his first season, Rittenhouse hopes to help the Tommies compete for the biggest prize in Canadian collegiate volleyball.

"I want to help this team compete for a national championship."

The STU Tommies are excited to welcome William to Fredericton and look forward to watching him continue his development in green and gold.