Jefferson Hagen, MacEwan Athletics
EDMONTON – Haley Gilfillan admits she might be a crier when Senior Night celebrations roll around after Saturday's final home game of the Griffins women's volleyball regular season.
There are plenty of emotions to unpack for her and the entire senior group, which includes fellow fifth years Mckenna Stevenson, Lauren Holmes and Hailey Cornelis.
"It's pretty remarkable, I think, the fact we all made it to five years because that's not easy to do," said the product of Strathcona high school. "It's definitely a lot of work and there was a lot of ups and downs over the five years. But we made it this far.
"In the future, they're still going to be some of my closest friends. It's not like I'm saying goodbye to them because I know they're going to be there."
Read more on Mckenna Stevenson here
Read more on Lauren Holmes here
Read more on Hailey Cornelis here
Things will be emotional for the Griffins' coaching staff, too, as they know it may take years to find a middle as versatile as Gilfillan and her counterpart Stevenson, who form a formidable 1-2 punch no matter who they play against every weekend. Gilfillan currently has 352 career blocks (ninth in Canada West history) and 149 career service aces (sixth) to go with 606 career kills (fourth in program history).
"She's a dominant middle in this league," said Briggs. "She's a really good server and she's a really good defender and those aren't even usually associated with middles. She's an excellent blocker. I don't want to say she's undersized, but she's a 6-foot middle who's extremely athletic. If our team was deeper, she probably could have played multiple positions over the years.
"What it means to us is it shows what someone can do if they're given the opportunity. Both of the middles, led by Haley, have seized that opportunity and they've earned the respect. We match them up against the toughest players on the other team and then she has to deal with that offensively because she has to go back at them, and she does an excellent job."
Gilfillan leads the Griffins (16-6) into action against Thompson Rivers University (15-5) on Friday (6 p.m.) and Saturday (5 p.m., both David Atkinson Gym, Canada West TV presented by Co-op) with home-court advantage in the opening round of the playoffs on the line.
A sweep of the WolfPack would seal a home playoff date for the Griffins, while a split would force TRU to get a result at No. 1-ranked Trinity Western in their season finale Feb. 14-15 in order to pass MacEwan.
"Every weekend's been important to stay in the hunt, but now with it being the last two games, senior night, it makes it more exciting," said Briggs, whose team enters the series with four wins in a row. "But the other thing is … you get to play against a team that will decide home court. It's nice to be at home. It really is.
"A lot of things could happen in the last two weekends, but it's nice, unlike other years where we're hoping for other things to happen, it's in our hands."
To be successful, Gilfillan points to the serve, serve-receive game.
"They're a very, very talented team," she said of the WolfPack. "I think coming into this weekend, it's going to be us sticking to our game plan. We know we are a good serving team and that plays a key role here. They have very talented hitters. So, if we can get them so they're not in system running fast tempo, I think we have a better chance of stopping their offence."
Haley Gilfillan and the Griffins have had plenty to celebrate this season after clinching the first Canada West playoff spot in program history (Robert Antoniuk photo).
Gilfillan will be key in that plan as she leads the Griffins with 39 aces so far – 11 shy of the school record 50 she had in 2018-19.
"She can really get it going," said Briggs. "That's a hard thing to do week-in and week-out because the gyms we play in our so different, but that's a weapon for her for sure.
"We never ever sub her out for her serve and defence because she's good at those things. Usually that's something most teams would do (with middles)."
Off the court, Gilfillan demonstrates another side of her versatility through leadership skills.
"A lot of people just don't see the off-court stuff," said Briggs. "She takes care of the team. She's the den mother, the communication hub – she takes care of everything between the team, the leadership group and myself. Those are things we don't get to know.
"She's been recognized with leadership scholarships and earned the EPS award there a couple weeks ago."
And when she graduates from MacEwan next fall with a B.A. in psychology, Gilfillan will head into the next stage of her life, which includes studying for a master's and a career in the same field. The gumption that she has for on-court success will serve her well for the rest of her life.
"I would say hard work is everything," she said. "You're never really handed anything. You have to work for it. No matter what position you are on the team, or your role, it's important to come every day and work your hardest. Hopefully, I can leave that."
