Jefferson Hagen
MacEwan Athletics
EDMONTON – Confidence mixed with technical mastery is like a shot of expresso in your coffee when it comes to accelerating a team's development.
That's what the MacEwan Griffins women's volleyball team is experiencing right now after things finally came together for them in last weekend's sweep of the Thompson Rivers University WolfPack.
"When you're not getting the wins, it's hard not to question yourself," said Griffins' interim head coach Dusty Freimark. "But putting two wins together, you just start to believe what you're capable of.
"I think some of the technical pieces we've been working on are starting to pay off. I think the team's starting to believe in what they're capable of doing. The combination of the two, when you put them together, it's a bit of a game-changer for you."
The Griffins (4-16) will try to keep the momentum rolling when they visit the UBC Okanagan Heat (9-11) in Kelowna, B.C. for their final road trip of the season on Friday (8 p.m. MT) and Saturday (6 p.m. MT, both Canada West TV).
There is much for the team to build off of after their first home weekend sweep of the season.
"I also like that so many contributed to the wins on the weekend," said Freimark. "I think a combination of Friday and Saturday, at any given point, we had 10 different athletes on the floor."
That's also an accelerant for the young squad's development as they aim to continue progressing into a playoff team next season.
"I think just giving them the opportunity to see what they're capable of, giving them the opportunity to feel what pressure feels like when you're competing," said Freimark of how it will help the whole Griffins group grow. "And with that, if you fail, you try something new. If you fail, you've got to try harder. If you fail, you've got to figure out a different way to achieve the end result.
"So, when more people are starting to feel that, it's a little bit easier to bring people along."
UBCO will present a greater challenge on paper than TRU did. Not only do they have a better record, but their roster is among the most experienced in Canada West with 11 players in their third-to-fifth years of eligibility. They're also tied for the last playoff spot in the conference with Saskatchewan, so they'll be a motivated group.
"UBCO's a little bit more of an experienced team," said Freimark. "They have some athletes on there have played high level and some fifth-year athletes that have been playing a little bit longer than my athletes.
"I think it just comes down to game planning. For us, it's just testing. We're testing ourselves every weekend – what we learn, what we know we're capable of doing to 'here's another test with a team that's got a higher ranking than TRU and probably more experienced athletes.' It will just be another tool in our tool belt."
