Evan Berube, For MacEwan Athletics
EDMONTON – One point can make the difference between losing a championship or going home glorious.
For former MacEwan men's volleyball team left-side Chris Womack, one point was the difference of a lifetime.
Overcoming being down two sets to zero in a provincial final is a great feat in and of itself. Being down two sets and 24-21 in the third set is almost impossible to overcome.
But the 2008-09 Griffins were able to do so, coming back to win the third set 30-28 over Mount Royal as they pushed the match to a fifth set and won the program's first ACAC championship since 1983-84.
"It's funny (the difference in one point), I think about this a lot," said Womack. "Winning that third set changed a lot of things for me. It set a lot of things in motion that probably wouldn't have been possible if we would have lost one more point at provincials."
Womack went on to win the tournament MVP award at nationals, after leading the Griffins to the first and only Canadian Colleges Athletic Association title in program history.
Adding to an already outstanding year, he was also recognized as MacEwan's Athlete of the Year for his accomplishments during his season.
Chris Womack, right, receives the MacEwan Male Athlete of the Year award from Bill Dean during the university's 2009 Athletics banquet (file photo).
In only three seasons with the Griffins, Womack became one of the most decorated players in program history, establishing himself in the record book numerous times. He can be found in the top 10 for…
Most career ACAC regular season sets played,
Most career ACAC regular season kills,
Most career ACAC regular season service aces,
Most sets played in an ACAC regular season,
Best blocks/set mark in a playoff season,
Most blocks in a playoff season,
Best kills/set mark in a playoff season,
Most kills in a playoff season
Womack was counted on right off the bat as a rookie, stepping into a starter's role from the beginning of his MacEwan career.
"I was given an opportunity. There was nobody in that left-side spot when I came in my first year. I had the opportunity to come in and take that. I grew a lot throughout that year … I don't know if the coaches really expected me to take that role on when I first started at MacEwan. It set the foundation of the confidence I had for the next couple of years."
After winning the team's Most Improved Player in his freshman year, his level of play set an expectation for the following years. An expectation so high that it seemed impossible to keep.
"My second year wasn't my best volleyball-wise. I think I put a little too much pressure on myself and expected it to happen again. You have to be able to put the work in. It doesn't always go your way, you just got to keep grinding at it."
Chris Womack unleashes his power from the left side against Keyano during a 2008-09 ACAC match. He led the Griffins with 181 kills that season, 10th best in the conference and was the MVP performer for the team in their national championship (file photo).
Putting in the work is exactly what he did. His third and final season with MacEwan, he established himself as the best CCAA player in the country. His hard work and dedication was noticed by other university programs and Chris was left with options for his fourth year. Ultimately, he chose to transfer across the North Saskatchewan river to University of Alberta, which wasn't an easy decision for the reigning player of the year.
The temptation to come back and try for the illusive repeat was almost enough to keep Womack at MacEwan.
"I did seriously consider coming back for my fourth and likely fifth year. I had a lot of conversations with my family and (coach) John (Heinrick) and we came to the determination that I need to give it a shot at the next level."
Womack moved on to the U of A and finished out his university career there. But he'll always remember everything the Griffins accomplished together – a special season in program history.
"We'll always have some sort of connection because of what we went through that year," said Womack, looking back on his championship run with his teammates.
After leaving MacEwan in 2009, Womack graduated from U of A with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology in 2012. He then worked at NAIT for seven years in what he called "the Edmonton Post-Secondary tour."
That culminated in a return to MacEwan as an assistant coach on head coach Brad Poplawski's staff for two seasons (2017-19). The two became friends when Poplawski was an assistant coach at U of A when Womack played there.
His coaching experience also included a four-year stint with the Northern Alberta Volleyball Club (NAVC) where he mostly enjoyed coaching the U14 age group.
"It was very satisfying seeing the growth they had through that year," he said. "Giving back to volleyball gave me the appreciation of how much work my coaches did for me when I was growing up and to be as fortunate to have the coaches that I did."
As recently as a year ago, Womack moved onto a different journey. Beginning his new career at Schindler Elevators in Edmonton, he now uses a lot of the life lessons he learned while captaining the Griffins.
"Being a part of a team, especially at the collegiate level, prepares you more than you think it would," he said. "My leadership and management style is based on things I learned when I was playing. Being a part of a team and supporting each other … trying to get the best out of one another is the same thing at work."
If you know volleyball, you know how small the volleyball community in Canada is. Womack met his wife Sandra through the sport after she played at King's University and Vancouver Island University, where she also won a national championship.
Just over a year ago they had their first-born child – a little girl named Riley. If she is anything like her parents, we could have a potential national champion in the making.
Chris Womack with his wife Sandra and daughter Riley (Courtesy, Chris Womack).
Womack has volleyball to thank for many things in his life. Even finding his most recent job was through a volleyball connection.
"You build that community, you build friendships and relationships (through volleyball) and it impacts the rest of your life," he said.
After his collegiate career Chris continued to play in Senior men's leagues until the recent COVID-19 pandemic. Now subbing for a team, he is still trying to chase that MVP form that he reached over a decade ago.
"It always feels good to get back out," he said. "But it's hard to get back and get the timing and the feel for the game at the level you're used to playing, so that's getting harder. There are moments where it all comes together, when you get a good set and you're in rhythm and attack the ball like you're used to. But it doesn't happen quite as often as it used to."
All the success on and off the court Womack has had in his life may be completely different if his team didn't come back from 24-21 in that third set of the ACAC finals. Losing that point could have changed the course of his life. Luckily, that set went the Griffins' way and Womack has the magic of sports to thank for his current life.
