Jefferson Hagen, MacEwan Athletics
EDMONTON – Sharing a longtime connection to the Northern Alberta Volleyball Club (NAVC), the MacEwan Griffins women's volleyball team has several players who've come up through their ranks.
Head coach Ken Briggs has added two more as part of his latest recruiting class.
NAVC products Madison Hoppus (Commerce) and Lauren Tensen (Commerce) are among eight new players the team is bringing into the fold for the 2020-21 season.
Hoppus, a 5-foot-10 outside hitter out of Sherwood Park's Salisbury Composite, has dreamed of becoming a MacEwan Griffin for a long time.
"I don't think anybody in our program has been in more camps and clinics over the years that I've run than Madi Hoppus," said Briggs, who recruited from his alma mater as a former teacher at Salisbury. "What's great is she's also been a member of our club – the NAVC – her whole career from U13 up. We have a relationship built over time; she has wanted to be a Griffin since she was in junior high."
Hoppus projects as an outside defensive specialist who brings intangibles that go beyond the court.
"She's a glue player and a leader," said Briggs. "She's a very versatile player and has been a leader on every team she's been on. The glowing remarks I get from her teachers, from her coaches, are that she gets what it means to be part of a team."
At 6-foot-3, Lauren Tensen becomes the tallest player on the MacEwan Griffins women's volleyball roster with the potential to produce big blocks in the middle (photo supplied).
Tensen instantly becomes the tallest player on the Griffins roster at 6-foot-3. The Jasper Place product has potential to become a tower in the middle for MacEwan.
"She's a local kid who has played in the Pandas program and with NAVC her last year," noted Briggs. This is a kid with potential and a big heart. She's going to work for everything she gets.
"She has Canada West size. Now we've got to see if we can develop that and get her to the next level."
Hoppus and Tensen become the latest in a long line of Griffins to graduate from the NAVC club program and join the MacEwan roster.
"It's nice that the talent level in our club has given us the opportunity to bring in next level athletes," said Briggs, who is a technical director for NAVC. "Almost all of the kids on our team from the Edmonton area at one point played at NAVC. It's just nice that we can reward the kids from that program."
