• Golden Bears Volleyball Outside Hitter (2004-2009)
• Four-time Canada West Champion (2005, 2006, 2008, 2009)
• Three-time CIS Champion (2005, 2008, 2009)
• 2009 Wilson Challenge Trophy Winner
• 2009 Canada West Player of the Year
• 2009 CIS Player of the Year
• 2009 Male BLG Award Winner as top athlete in CIS
• 2009 CIS Tournament MVP
• Three-time CW All-Star (2007, 2008, 2009)
• Two-time CIS All-Canadian (2007, 2009)
• Ninth in Bears history in kills, eighth in kills per set, and 10th in points

The Golden Bears Volleyball team has developed a tried-and-true method for athlete development. Recruit talented athletes and let them learn and grow through coaching and practice. And by year three as older students, they are ready to step on to the court and be contributors on a national-caliber team.

There may be no better example than 2025 Sports Wall of Fame Inductee, Joel Schmuland, ‘09 BA (Rec, Sport & Tourism). A top recruit out of Calgary, Schmuland spent his first two seasons primarily in a backup role. Refining his game, building up his physique, and adding layers to his attack. The slow-burn paid off — as it usually does with Bears Volleyball. Between 2007-2009, Schmuland put together one of the best three-year runs in program history.

It would be hard to argue that he wasn’t the best men’s volleyball player in Canada for those three seasons. Two Canada West Championships, two CIS Championships, three conference all-star selections, and a CIS All-Canadian. His varsity career culminated in what is likely the best single-season of any Bear ever; 2009 Canada West and CIS MVP, Canada West and CIS Champion, CIS Tournament MVP, UofA Athlete of the Year, and the first (and only) Golden Bear to win CIS Athlete of the Year, known then as the BLG Award.

A truly remarkable trajectory that started in 2004 and culminated with Schmuland on the Mount Rushmore of Golden Bears Volleyball players. 

“What is most special about Joel is not that he succeeded at becoming a world class attacker, but rather that he became a team leader and a highly respected and fierce competitor as a student athlete and beyond,” said former head coach and fellow SWOF inductee Terry Danyluk. “Joel’s work ethic and devotion to his team and teammates was second to none. His personal growth and commitment to the program were key in helping to elevate the Golden Bears program to where it is today.”

His first season as a starter, Schmuland led Canada West with 271 kills and 318.5 points. He was an immediate difference maker for a Bears team that finished fourth in Canada West, before earning a silver at the CIS Championship in Hamilton. 

Thanks in large part to the contributions of Schmuland on the court and Danyluk guiding the team, the Bears were nearly unbeatable in 2008 and 2009. A 34-2 conference record and 68-7 overall record across two seasons. A perfect 10-0 record in Canada West and CIS postseason play. And back-to-back Canada West and CIS Championships, punctuated by winning a 2009 national championship in front of a sold out crowd at the UofA’s Main Gym.

Schmuland ended his career fourth in career kills, with 789. As of his induction, his 789 career kills now ranks 8th, while he also ranks 8th in attack percentage (.345), and 10th in career points (932.0).

His post varsity endeavors in volleyball included seven years on the Canadian National Team, and a two-year professional career in South Korea and France. Today Joel is living in Ottawa with his wife Sofia and their two children. 

“Joel is a proud graduate of the University of Alberta and has always made certain that those many people with whom he has come in contact during his career realize how important his alma mater has been to him” continued Danyluk. “He proudly wears his Block A sweater any chance he can in support of our program and University.” 

Joel Schmuland is the 4th Golden Bears Volleyball athlete inducted into the Sports Wall of Fame.