Jefferson Hagen / MacEwan Athletics
EDMONTON – No matter how many times that Hailey Cornelis has been underestimated, she keeps proving people wrong.
Undersized for the outside hitter position – if 5-foot-10 can be called that – the volleyball player from a small town north of Morinville (Legal, Alta.) has always been deep on resolve.
"She was always this kid who flew under the radar, but always ended up beating that girl who made the provincial team," said MacEwan Griffins head coach Ken Briggs, who followed her career as she worked her way through the Pandas youth volleyball program. "She was really and up-and-comer and she wanted to come here – small-town girl, this is a little bit better fit for her."
That was indeed the draw for Cornelis, who is now into her third year of an Arts degree at MacEwan.
"A lot of it was just the small school vibes," she said. "I'm from a small town, so coming to MacEwan with the smaller classes was really a huge thing for me."
On the court, she's settling in and is starting to make a big difference for the Griffins. Cornelis is beginning to figure out how to score regularly on a block that's two or three inches taller than her.
"Definitely, I'm gaining confidence and just realizing the level of play that you have to be at to be able to compete – jumping higher with a lot of taller athletes on the other side of the court," she said.
"I just take it as a competition and being able to compete – just showing that even though I'm a lot shorter than most of them that I can compete with the people at that level."
Heading into a weekend series vs. Regina (Friday, 6 p.m. and Saturday, 5 p.m., both games Atkinson Gym), Cornelis is fifth on the Griffins in kills (50), fourth in service aces (11), fourth in digs (92) and fifth in blocks (20).
"She's learning how to finish," said Briggs. "There's a definite wrist snap and finish. And that changes depending on the shot she's using. What I've been really impressed with as the weekends have gone on is when she knows she's got a double block, she hits the outside hand and scores off of that. That's an art form. You learn that over time – to see that and know you can't go through it.
"She's creating some space for herself, she's hitting the ball sharper across court – things like that that come with learning how to play the game."
Her serving has always been solid for the Griffins, but Briggs is really noticing a big improvement in her defence.
"Her blocking and her digs are rising every match she plays," said Briggs. "I think she had a great passing weekend last weekend on serve-receive, which is a really tough thing to do in this league. Those parts of her game have really improved.
"That group of third-years, they're really starting to understand and that makes their job a lot easier."
Cornelis will be crucial again as MacEwan aims to improve its 2-14 record against 9-9 Regina this weekend. The Griffins are coming of a split with 8-10 Mount Royal, which yielded their first home win followed by a 3-1 loss on Saturday.
"Now we've sort of realized we do a nice job on the Friday night after a week of prep," said Briggs. "How do we get over the hump on Saturday? I thought this Saturday was one step closer than the Saturday (in Saskatchewan). This one felt better because we had to make changes on the day. That's the next improvement. We need to be able to change things on the go without having to practice it. That's a high-level thing."
Friday's match is MacEwan's Bell Let's Talk contest as the student-athletes play in support of mental health awareness. It's a cause that's important to all members of the Griffins volleyball teams.
"A lot of people at this young age have gone through bouts of anxiety and depression, and in sports you deal with that every day because that's just one added pressure," said Briggs. "A student-athlete has those pressures from academics, now you're putting all this on them through sport and they really do have to study how to take care of themselves mentally.
"We try to teach that, but we also try to plan that in our yearly plan. When do they need that time? You need a mental break sometimes, too. That's what's so amazing with student-athletes. They have so much to deal with."
