Jason Hills
For MacEwan Athletics
EDMONTON – The MacEwan Griffins knew the odds would be stacked against them in a big way against the No.2 ranked Alberta Golden Bears, but that didn't stop them from putting up a decent fight.
It was a straight-sets loss (25-17, 37-35, 25-21) on Friday night at the David Atkinson Gym, but MacEwan can certainly walk away knowing they held their own against one of the best teams in the country.
"It was close, and I think it's gratifying for us to see that we can compete with one of the best teams in Canada. That's a good sign, but we have lots to work on what we did and didn't do, and we adjusted poorly to some things," said Griffins setter Alexander Lyndon.
"They're a good team, and we need to play up another level to keep those sets close. The second set was close, but in the first and third set, we needed to be better."
Daylan Andison led MacEwan with 10 kills and seven digs, while Owen Johnson recorded nine kills and three digs in the loss as MacEwan fell to 0-19 this season.
Alberta was led by Jacob Sargent who had 14 kills and six digs, while Billy Johnstone, Liam Espedido and Isaac Heslinga all had nine kills as the Golden Bears improved to 14-5 this season.
The Griffins hung in with Alberta in the first set, until the Golden Bears went on a 6-2 run to break it open. The second set was an absolute marathon that featured six lead changes, and the score was tied 22 times.
Alberta held a 25-24 lead, but then Andison came up with a big kill to tie it at 25 each. Mitchel Gorman came up with one of his seven kills to tie it at 26. Alberta would continue to take the lead, but the Griffins would punch right back over and over.
A service ace from Seth Birkholz gave MacEwan a 30-29 lead and Jonah Karsten would give them a 31-30 lead, but then it was the Bears turn to punch right back.
A block from Birkholz would tie it at 35-35, but Johnstone came up with a massive kill, and Alberta ended the marathon right after on set point.
M��| SET 2
— MacEwan Griffins (@MacEwanGriffins) February 3, 2024
What an epic battle as #YEG rivals @MacEwanU and @BearsandPandas play one of the longest sets you'll see. Alex Lyndon had the score knotted 32-all after this kill, but the visitors pull it out 37-35 and lead 2-0 in the match.@CanadaWest #GriffNation pic.twitter.com/dqb5a89MS9
"That was a crazy set, and those are always fun to be a part of," said Lyndon.
"We just couldn't get that little extra edge. To win two points in a row, you need to do a lot of good things. You need to receive and side out well and block and defend, and I think we were lacking some of the defensive side of the game. We were missing some things."
Offensively MacEwan was able to spread their offence around nicely, but the Golden Bears seemed to capitalize mostly on the defensive side, as they recorded 20 blocks as a team, including six from Johnstone.
"We need to have all the phases of the game going. Pass, serve, defend and we didn't really have all of it going tonight," said Lyndon.
The Griffins certainly got solid performances from Andison and Johnson, who have earned more opportunities throughout this season to play bigger roles.
"Early in the season, Owen wasn't getting much time, and now he's out there playing well for us, and Daylan has evolved his game. To hit .474 against a good team like that is incredible, and you need to give good props to him," said Lyndon.
MacEwan lost another close set in the third, and although the Griffins can be pleased with their effort, they certainly felt they could've earned at least one set win in this loss.
"This was one of our better performances recently. We've had a few tough weeks. We've had some injuries and some sickness, and some roster changes and it's been a tough battle to get through some of it," said Lyndon.
"We're at that point in the season, where it's a battle every week, and I'm proud of the guys. That was one of our better games, but we should be pretty disappointed with the score-line. We feel like we should've won at least one set."
MacEwan and Alberta will wrap up their weekend series on Saturday (3 p.m., David Atkinson Gym, Canada West TV).
