Bartlett named OUA coach of the year

Melissa Bartlett

Chatham’s Melissa Bartlett was named the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) women’s volleyball coach of the year.

The Western Mustangs bench boss led her team to a 15-5 regular season record this season. The Mustangs were defeated in the OUA quarter-finals by the Windsor Lancers.

Melissa’s father Randy Bartlett, who currently serves as one of the team’s assistant coaches, played for the Mustangs men’s volleyball team from 1975-79, including captaining the 1979 team that won the OUA Championship.

With Bartlett at the helm, the Mustangs opened their season with a six-game win streak, before falling to the tough Nipissing Lakers squad in North Bay. They would reel off another seven-game winning streak in the middle of the year as well.

The Mustangs’ wins came from a powerful offence that averaged 15.9 points per set, fourth best in the province with a .204 team hitting percentage. They rounded out their stat-line, ranking among the top two in assists per set (1st in OUA, 11.46), total assists (2nd in OUA, 848), and total blocks (2nd in OUA, 173), showcasing how Bartlett’s squad thrived in all aspects of the game. They were also ranked seventh in the province with 867 kills per contest.