McMorran full-time volleyball coach

    Dan McMorran will now have more time to figure out how to beat the Dalhousie Tigers.McMorran has been promoted to full-time head coach of the University of New Brunswick men's volleyball team.

Last spring, the Tigers swept the Varsity Reds 3-1, 3-0 to win the Atlantic University Sport title for the 29th time in 30 years - 23rd in a row.

"It's a refreshing time here," said McMorran, who's starting his sixth season. "I'll now be able to have one job as opposed to the two I've handled over the past number of years."

McMorran had to juggle his teaching responsibilities at Oromocto High School.

"Nothing will really change as far as what I'm trying to do here," he said. "I guess I'll be able to do it at different hours and it will give me a little more flexibility to be able to go out and recruit at tournaments when normally I'd have to be at my job as a high school teacher."

McMorran said he doesn't feel "any more pressure" with the full-time title.

"Whether I was doing this part time or full time, I was giving it all I had," he said. "It will be a little easier on my wife and little guy now. I used to go right from high school to volleyball and not be home until nine or 10 at night."

Dal remains the AUS obstacle, but McMorran doesn't want to just get past the Tigers.

"It's not about beating Dal, it's about trying to win a national championship," he said. "For the last number of years, Dal has been in the way. I don't expect that Dal won't be in the way again this year.

"We're definitely trying to take this program to another level and another level right now is to win an Atlantic championship."

The V-Reds did go to nationals last season in Edmonton because the Atlantic conference was granted a second entry.

McMorran wants to get back to nationals on merit.

"Two years ago, we were the eighth-ranked team in the country and we had beaten Dal three matches out of seven," he said. "We were up 1-0 in the AUS championship and we thought we were going to do it at home.

"Do we have a time frame (to beat them)? No. Every year I've wanted to beat Dal and the last four years I thought we had an opportunity to do that.

"I believe we have an opportunity again this year."

It won't be easy, mind you. "Dal's not losing anybody, but we're gaining some good bodies and we've got a great returning group again," McMorran said. "I will not be surprised if we beat Dalhousie this year. That's what we're expecting to do."

Former UNB swimming star Dan Monid, twice nominated for BLG university male athlete of the year, will return to coach the swim team on an interim basis.

Paula Crutcher-Stewart is on maternity leave with her baby girl Sophie. The women's and men's soccer teams, which began twice a day tryouts on Saturday, will host St. Francis Xavier in exhibition action Saturday at Chapman Field.

The women's game goes at 2 p.m., followed by the men's contest at 4. The V-Reds open the regular season at home the following Saturday, Sept. 12, against the perennial-rival UPEI Panthers.