Volleyball Canada – February  22, 2019:  Volleyball Canada today announced two new members of the women’s team coaching staff to assist newly appointed Head Coach Tom Black, who will take over Canada’s women’s program beginning May 2019.
 
“With these additional staff members – Ben Josephson and Shannon Winzer – I’m confident that we have a very well-rounded coaching team with excellent track records to guide our women’s program in the next several years,” said Julien Boucher, Volleyball Canada Indoor High Performance Director.
 
Ben Josephson has been named Senior Team Assistant Coach. Josephson, originally from Strathmore, Alta., has been at the helm of the Trinity Western University Spartans men’s volleyball program since 2007.

Josephson guided TWU to four national championships, in 2011, 2012, 2016 and 2017, and eight appearances in the U SPORTS championship tournament. Josephson also led the Spartans to three Canada West championships. Josephson has been named both the Canada West Coach of the Year and U SPORTS Coach of the Year twice, in 2011-12 and 2013-14.

Along with his 10 U SPORTS medals, Josephson has guided TWU to 11 Canada West medals.

Josephson was a player for the Spartans from 1998 to 2003 and, in his final year, earned the school’s first ever All-Canadian award while also being named a Canada West First Team All-Star.

Along with his work at TWU, Josephson has also coached internationally as a guest assistant with Canada’s men’s senior team in 2009 and as an assistant with Canada’s World University Games men’s teams in 2005 and 2011. Josephson was the head coach of Canada’s Youth National team in 2015 and 2016. He was also the head coach for B.C.’s U21 side that finished third at the 2013 Canada Summer Games. He is also the technical director for the Ducks Volleyball Club.

Josephson has a Bachelor of Human Kinetics Degree from Trinity Western and is an NCCP Level III certified coach.
 
Volleyball Canada is also pleased to announce that Shannon Winzer is now the NextGen Coach/Senior Team Assistant coach for the women’s program.
 
Winzer, originally from British Columbia, is returning to Canada after serving as Volleyball Australia’s Women’s National Team head coach. Over the past three years with the “Volleyroos,” the team improved its ranking to reach the highest the team has been for several years, and is currently ranked 30th in the world. 
 
Also the Volleyball Australia Centre of Excellence head coach, Winzer was named Volleyball Australia’s National Coach of the Year for 2016-7. During her time in Australia, she also served as an assistant national team coach, and as the women’s U23 team coach. She also coached at Melbourne University and various elite teams and clubs.

Winzer is a graduate of the University of British Columbia (2002), where she played on the varsity team.  She also played professional volleyball in Europe. After a move to Australia, she joined the Women’s Australian Volleyball League (WAVL) and captained the Melbourne University Blues for almost four years, and was on the Australian national team in 2008 and ’09.
 
The new staff members will begin their terms in late April.

Volleyball Canada media contact:
Jackie Skender
Director of Communications
613-794-7676
jskender@volleyball.ca