Irvan Brar is on to the next step in his volleyball career: the pros.
After leading the UBC men’s volleyball team to their first national title in 35 years this past spring, the graduating team captain is set to play for Düren SWD Powervolleys of the volleyball Bundesliga in Germany. He has signed an eight-month contract starting in November.
Düren SWD Powervolleys is one of the 11 teams in Bundesliga Division 1, the highest level of men’s volleyball in Germany. The team plays at the Arena Kreis in Düren, Germany and is currently ranked fourth in the league.
Brar is not the first Thunderbird to play for the professional club either. T-Bird alumn Blair Bann plays for the Powervolleys currently. He was also recently part of the 2016 Rio Olympic roster of Canada.
As one of the top players on UBC’s team, Brar led several statistical categories for the T-Birds this past season including kills (380). His efforts earned him a spot on U Sports second All-Canadian team this past year, alongside the R.W. Pugh Fair Play Award winner.
“Volleyball is kind of my life right now,” Brar said in a previous interview with The Ubyssey. “It’s all I do — it’s what I do in the summer, it’s what I do in the winter, it’s what I do during the school …Next year I'll be going to play pro overseas, so that's what I'll be doing all fall and winter and spring. It’s pretty much just ingrained in my life; I love every second of it.”
His prediction obviously came true.