Jefferson Hagen
MacEwan Athletics
KELOWNA, B.C. – Pushing the experienced UBC Okanagan Heat to five sets on both nights of their final road trip of the Canada West women's volleyball campaign, the MacEwan Griffins have empirical evidence of how much they've grown this season.
There is no way the young Griffins would have been able to do that in the first month of the schedule.
"No, 100 per cent it wouldn't have happened," agreed Griffins interim head coach Dusty Freimark after her squad lost 3-2 to UBCO for the second-straight night on Saturday. "It's kind of like the message I've said all year, the girls are 100 per cent committed and they are there for the learning the growth. Now, it does take these competitions for them to understand 'what does it take that next year?'
"They have improved a ton throughout the year and there's no way we would have been in a fifth set with this team at the beginning of the year. As much as it kills you to lose because it does, we also know where our growth is and where we're headed."
The scary thing is even though they were the underdogs, with 14 players in their first or second year of eligibility, the Griffins should have won Saturday's match. They had the Heat on the brink after winning the first two sets before dropping three in a row for a 21-25, 21-25, 25-14, 25-10, 15-12 result.
W��| SET 2@MacEwanU gains a 2-0 lead on the @UBCOHeat, winning the second set 25-21 off a solid block, which led to an attack error.@CanadaWest #GriffNation pic.twitter.com/BozG1Yw9Q3
— MacEwan Griffins (@MacEwanGriffins) February 12, 2023
Freimark can't exactly say where the turning point was, but this kind of stuff sometimes happens with a young team.
"I asked the team the same question," she said. "Honestly, I'm not sure. It didn't feel like it was tight or nerves. UBCO changed their lineup in the third set. I just felt like our focus and desire changed."
MacEwan hit -.111 in the fourth set and .000 in the fifth as they just couldn't get their attack on track. Still, the glass half-full response to that is they took a team in a playoff position to five sets on back-to-back nights.
"Going to five, which we haven't done a lot this year, with a really experienced team – there's still lots to be proud of," said Freimark. "Our post-game chat was 'what can we learn from the fifth-years on the other side of the net?' There were a lot of them on the court. It's just 'where is it we need to be in the next year or two?' "
W��| SET 1
— MacEwan Griffins (@MacEwanGriffins) February 12, 2023
It's not often a set ends on a free ball, but Andi Krawec will take it as @MacEwanU wins the opening set 25-21 over @UBCOHeat.@CanadaWest #GriffNation pic.twitter.com/pjTEOdE2Rz
Mariah Bereziuk led the Griffins with 18 kills, two aces, six digs and four blocks, accounting for a match-high 22.0 points, while Payton Shimoda had 33 assists and Bronwyn Ettinger filled in admirably for injured starting libero Megan Foxcroft with 14 digs.
"I think Payton stood out for us tonight," said Freimark. "Unfortunately, Megan wasn't able to play tonight, but Bronwyn came in and did a really good job in her first game of the year. She's been coming in as a serving sub.
"Our passing needs to be better and I think Payton always does a good job of just putting the ball in a spot for her hitters."
With the result, MacEwan fell to 4-18, while UBCO improved to 11-11 in the Canada West standings.
The Griffins will close out the season at home Feb. 17-18 vs. Mount Royal University.
