Jefferson Hagen
MacEwan Athletics
BRANDON, Man. – How about a winning streak? How does that sound to you?
After snapping an eight-game losing skid with a monumental win over Brandon on Friday night, the MacEwan Griffins women's volleyball team decided they liked the feeling so much they would do it again.
The Griffins rolled to a 3-0 victory (25-23, 25-15, 25-23) over the Bobcats on Saturday for the program's first weekend sweep since Feb. 1, 2020 when MacEwan's pre-pandemic playoff-bound team knocked off the UBC Okanagan Heat.
"We're celebrating tonight, for sure," said interim head coach Dusty Freimark. "We're going to take some time and feel what it feels like to win and want to replicate that every time we step on the court."
With the victory, the Griffins improved to 2-8 on the season, dropping the Bobcats to 0-10.
Mariah Bereziuk again led MacEwan with 16 kills and 10 digs, accounting for 17.0 points in just three sets. That gives her 37 kills in a monster weekend performance.
"Mariah just does a really good job of handling her team, as well," said Freimark. "Never does she think it's about her in any way. She just wants to contribute, she wants to do what she's good at."
Setter Payton Shimoda also had a big game for the Griffins with 22 assists and five service aces, most of those coming in a stunning third set rally.
"In Set 3, Payton went back to serve and it was 23-17 and she served us 25-23," said Freimark. "She served aggressive and served with guts. It was courage. She aced them a couple times."
W��| FINAL
— MacEwan Griffins (@MacEwanGriffins) November 27, 2022
Building off their first win of the @CanadaWest season on Friday, @MacEwanU claims a weekend sweep over @BUBobcats with a 3-0 victory (25-23, 25-15, 25-23) on Saturday. Stay tuned for a recap.#GriffNation pic.twitter.com/QrVrzELhWe
But the biggest key to Saturday's win, said Freimark, was the team's defensive play.
"Our coverage was outstanding," she said. "Our hustle, I'd say, to win those long rallies (was key). They weren't easy. They weren't giving up free balls, that's for sure. I think the girls just did a really good job on defence.
"Our passing wasn't super strong and our attack efficiency wasn't even that great, but our defence kept us in it."
The Griffins now return home to host perennial powerhouse Trinity Western in their last matches of the first semester on Dec. 2-3.
"Now it just gets harder," said Freimark. "We talked about that in post-game. It's the decisions you make moving forward. When you're not winning, teams don't necessarily take you serious, but when you're win a couple in a row and now they're taking you serious, the opponents get harder."
����Marly Pellerin shares her thoughts on Saturday's setback against the @MacEwanGriffins. Also, hear from Payton Shimoda of the visitors, who rallied late in the third set to sweep the match. Post-game report brought to you by @WestobaCU. pic.twitter.com/hA2Tjkw5l1
— BU Bobcats (@BUBobcats) November 27, 2022
