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Niklas Rademacher is one of the "biggest reasons for our program's rise to national prominence," says Coach Dan Ota. (Nick Pearce Photo)

As a volleyball player, you鈥檝e got to be able to reach high. Niklas Rademacher reaches high both on and off the court.

The team captain of Dalhousie鈥檚 men鈥檚 volleyball team was recently awarded the Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) Athlete of the Week award for his performance during a four-game Dalhousie sweep in an interlock series featuring Quebec opponents.

Last聽month, he led the Tigers to another sweep. 鈥淗is recent performance at the York Excalibur Classic led our squad to a 5-0 tournament record, a championship trophy and a tournament MVP award for Niklas,鈥� says Dan Ota, coach of men鈥檚 volleyball. This was the first time an Atlantic Canadian team has won this title in the tournament鈥檚 29-year history.

Coach Ota believes Mr. Rademacher may well be the best CIS player in the nation: 鈥淣iklas has been a team leader both on and off the court in each of his four seasons with our program. He came to our program as an accomplished athlete and was immediately a dominant CIS player, being named Atlantic University Sport (AUS) Player of the Year and CIS All-Canadian in his first season. He has continued to raise his play since that first season and is now arguably the best CIS player in the nation.

鈥淣iklas is one of the biggest reasons for our program鈥檚 rise to national prominence in recent years,鈥� he continues. 鈥淎s team captain, he shoulders much of the pressure to help our team in its drive for another AUS title and possibly a CIS title as well.鈥�

Talk about pressure. With the Tigers winning 27 AUS titles in 28 years (21 consecutively), the Tigers are expected to perform again this year. AUS playoffs begin February 15.

But Mr. Rademacher of Bocholt, Germany, pushes those expectations aside and concentrates on one game at a time.聽

鈥淭here are a lot of expectations put on us from outside, but I think we need to focus on playing as hard as we can point by point. I want to win and I want to go to nationals and ultimately I would love to win a national championship, but the goal I set is to play as well as we can.

鈥淚f we do that, we are a hard team to beat and the outcomes should be positive.鈥�

That same focus and determination drives Mr. Rademacher in his studies. He chose Dalhousie after searching for a university where he could 鈥渃ombine school and sports.鈥�

One of Dalhousie鈥檚 62 Academic All-Canadians, he鈥檚 in his fourth year of management studies.

鈥淎s a student, Niklas has excelled in each of his years in Dalhousie鈥檚 management program,鈥� says Coach Ota. 鈥淗e obtained a 4.00 grade point average (GPA) in his first year and like he has on the volleyball court, continued to raise his standards, obtaining a 4.15 GPA last year.

鈥淪ometimes it is easy to forget that he has accomplished all of this in a language that is foreign to him.鈥�