Kodiak setter reaches milestone

By Lethbridge Herald on January 17, 2025.

Herald Photo by Justin Seward Ben St. Pierre serves the ball against the SAIT Trojans on Friday night. St. Pierre hit a milestone with his 1,000th assist last weekend.

By Justin Seward

Lethbridge Herald

A Lethbridge Polytechnic Kodiak has reached a milestone.

Fourth-year setter, Ben St. Pierre, of the men’s volleyball team reached the 1,000-assist mark last weekend in a road game against Red Deer Polytechnic.

“(It) means a lot,” said St. Pierre.

“I’ve been here for four years and grinded (out) my first two years to get a starting spot and then I finally got it and glad to see that pay off with that milestone.”

He credits the advice that he received from within his team is what was a main factor of helping him achieve the milestone.

“And making sure that I stay positive and don’t worry about the negatives of not starting or not having the best sets,” said St. Pierre.

St. Pierre talked about how the opposition has made a better player in this league.

“It pushes you (to) the next level and makes you uncomfortable and brings the best out of you,” said St. Pierre.

St. Pierre feels he has grown mentally over his four years with the Kodiaks.

“I’ve learned a lot about volleyball and confidence, and how big of a factor that is, so yeah that’s really helped me up to year four,” said St. Pierre.

The milestone is something he’ll look back on individually, but is more focused on winning a provincial championship this season.

“Everything that Ben St. Pierre’s been doing, he’s earned,” said Greg Gibos, Kodiaks head coach.

 “It’s through hard work, it’s through dedication, it’s through watching film, it’s through perfecting his craft. He’s someone that came down here knowing that it was going to be tough to see playing time and he’s earned it every chance he’s got it. So for us, it’s so fun to see someone like Ben succeed because we know how much hard work and effort he’s put into that,”

Todd Caughlin, the Polytechnic’s athletics and recreation services director, sees St. Pierre as the very definition of a Kodiak student-athlete.

“Great in the classroom, good in the community and obviously being a setter, you’ve got to be a team player and he’s proven that,” said Caughlin.

“He’s helped make us be as competitive as we are, especially in how highly contested the ACAC men’s volleyball is.”

The milestone puts St. Pierre in the ACAC’s Top 20 all-time to accomplish the feat in a record-keeping era that didn’t start until around 2014.