Jefferson Hagen
MacEwan Athletics
KELOWNA, B.C. – There were times, maybe even earlier this season, when the 3-2 loss to the UBC Okanagan Heat that the MacEwan Griffins women's volleyball suffered on Friday night would have been considered a moral victory.
Not this time.
There was genuine disappointment in the team's locker-room afterward, which is, in and of itself, a sign of how far they've come.
Wins are now the expectation for a young Griffins team that's showing signs of rapid progression down the stretch of the 2022-23 Canada West season.
"I'm always incredibly proud of this group," said Griffins interim head coach Dusty Freimark. "I think I've said that from Day 1, but I also think they're starting to recognize the disappointment with the coulda-woulda-shoulda, which is great.
"They know now that they can compete. I'm incredibly proud, but maybe more proud that they're really disappointed in how that finished."
MacEwan had a 2-1 lead over a Heat team fully motivated and locked into a furious battle for the final Canada West playoff spot before dropping the last two sets for a 3-2 result (18-25, 25-16, 21-25, 25-19, 15-7).
As a result, the Griffins saw a two-game winning streak come to an end as they drop to 4-17 on the season, while the Heat improve to 10-11.
Freimark noted the turning point came in the fifth set when captain and fifth-year libero Megan Foxcroft suffered an injury on the first point of the set and had to come out of the match.
"I think Megan got taken out and she's our leader on the court and she's our calm in the chaos," said Freimark. "When we lost that voice, I think maybe we hadn't practised 'what if that happens,' sort of thing."
Rookie Bronwyn Ettinger subbed in for Foxcroft and the Griffins actually took a 3-1 lead, but lost steam later in the set, conceding a 9-1 run to the Heat that ended the match.
Setter Payton Shimoda led the Griffins with a career-high 42 assists and 12 digs, while Mariah Bereziuk recorded 17 kills and accounted for a team-high 19.5 points. Dana Dunbar had a solid performance in the middle for MacEwan with six kills and five blocks.
"Payton's always consistent for us," said Freimark. "She just puts the ball in a really good place for her hitters. Dana had a good night offensively. She was working really hard."
So, the Griffins move forward to Saturday's rematch (6 p.m. MT, Canada West TV), likely without Foxcroft.
"Bron's been on the court quite a bit for us, so I think that's one of the good things," said Freimark. "So, we'll just settle in with that. We already have trust built with her."
