Jefferson Hagen
MacEwan Athletics
EDMONTON – After an incredible final season where she finished among the kills leaders in Canada, Mariah Bereziuk was named to the Canada West first all-star team on Tuesday.
Bereziuk finished second in the conference in kills/set (3.95) and tied for third in kills in CW with 316. Across U SPORTS, she was third in kills/set.
It's the second time a Griffins women's volleyball player has been a Canada West first team all-star, following Haley Gilfillan's selection in 2019-20.
"It's just a landmark moment," said MacEwan head coach Chris Wandler. "It took five years for her to get there. I think it just proves that it takes a lot of hard work, a lot of will, lots of determination to get to a spot where you can play at a really high level. That's what she did all year."
Bereziuk led the Griffins in kills in all but two of their 24 regular season matches, despite being the focal point of the opposition's game plan. It's under-rated how difficult that is to keep producing when everyone is keying on you.
"It's so tough," said Wandler. "You have to have a persistence that's just unwavering. Her will was just unmatched, I think, by any of our opposition. Just her desire to keep on going and be willing to do anything to try and score the next point.
"It's an incredible moment for her. I'm very proud of her."
Bereziuk joins Manitoba's Raya Surinx, Trinity Western's Kaylee Plouffe, UFV's Gabrielle Attieh, UBC's Lucy Borowski, Alberta's Lauryn Tremblay, and Manitoba's Katreena Bentley on the Canada West first all-star team.
Among her stellar season, Bereziuk broke the program record for the best points/set average by a Griffin in a CW season (4.7) and also topped the mark for the most points by a Griffin in a match (28.0 against Trinity Western Feb. 11). That same night, Bereziuk's 25 kills matched Cassidy Kinsella's record for the most in a Canada West contest.
"I think just her competitiveness, her competitive drive," said Wandler of what set Bereziuk apart in 2023-24. "She was one of the engines of the team, for sure. And she just kept the spirit of the team going.
Bereziuk finished her career at MacEwan with 695 kills (third in program history) and 807.5 points (fifth), really taking her game to the next level in her last season.
"It just takes time," said Wandler. "People nowadays expect things to be done overnight. She's obviously got some great work ethic, coming from a great family and (growing up) in a small town, farm life. That's where she came from.
"It's a lesson to be learned for everybody."
