Jefferson Hagen
MacEwan Athletics
CALGARY – Once again, the MacEwan Griffins women's volleyball team proved adversity is like water rolling off their back.
When the Mount Royal University Cougars got on a roll to win the second set on Saturday and tied the match 1-1, the Griffins just shrugged.
They closed out the match 3-1 in their favour not long after, recording a 25-18, 20-25, 25-19, 25-21 victory to finish the semester on a six-game winning streak.
"In the second set, we got caught in a rotation where we didn't adjust quick enough and let them get on a little bit of a run," said Griffins head coach Chris Wandler.
"We couldn't stop it in time, and we dropped the set. But we rebounded really well going to Sets 3 and 4. We flat-out just competed tonight. I'm really proud of the girls."
With the result, MacEwan heads into the Christmas break with a 9-3 record, firmly in a playoff position among the elite six teams in Canada West – 11-1 UBC, 10-0 Trinity Western, 10-2 Alberta, 10-2 Manitoba and 9-3 UFV.
Mount Royal drops to 2-10.
Mariah Bereziuk led MacEwan with 16 kills, three aces, seven digs and two blocks, accounting for a match-high 20.0 points. And a night after coming in off the bench as a difference-maker for MacEwan, Arden Butler started on Saturday and produced 15 kills, seven digs and two blocks.
"Coming off 15 kills last night, she had another 15 tonight," said Wandler. "She was totally rock solid again.
"In the last couple of weeks Arden's been super noticeable in practice and competing really well. When we needed Arden to come in yesterday, she didn't blink and just continued that on tonight. She was tough to stop."
Payton Shimoda finished with 40 assists, four aces, five digs and a block, but Wandler noted it was a total team effort.
"Mariah was good tonight," he said. "Bronwyn (Ettinger) kept her composure all night and had some really good digs. It was just a good night on everybody's part. We just competed as a group."
With that putting a wrap on the first semester, Wandler took stock of what has been an incredibly successful turnaround for a team that went 4-20 last season.
"There was a lot of learning that went on in our semester – how we're going to gel as a group, how we're going to play, what defines our identity and what does winning volleyball look like to us," he said. "It really was a process from Day 1. I think we got a pretty good idea what that looks like in our heads. That got us right to this point, 9-3.
"I'm super proud of them for doing what they do, just never having any doubt, being positive with themselves and being accountable in what they do. You couldn't be any more proud as a coach, for sure."
The Griffins will return to action on Jan. 5-6 vs. Manitoba at home.
