MacEwan Athletics

EDMONTON – After making the playoffs last season, the MacEwan Griffins women's volleyball team is aiming to take the next step towards championship contender status in 2024-25.

There's no better way to do that than to sharpen up against the best.

Right off the bat, the Griffins will face two Canada West powerhouses in the first three weekends, opening up at home vs. Trinity Western (Oct. 18-19) and hosting cross-town rival Alberta (Nov. 8-9).

Later in the first semester, they visit defending U SPORTS champion UBC (Nov. 29-30).

SEE THE FULL 2024-25 SCHEDULE HERE

"It's a tough schedule to start," said Griffins head coach Chris Wandler. "But playing against Trinity and UBC in preseason last year was a big part of our growth, so this will help us grow quickly. We're going to have to be on top of our game right from the get-go."

A new highlight home game played at 12 p.m. on a Friday has been added this season as the Griffins host Winnipeg for 'School Day' Nov. 15, designed to host hundreds of school groups across the city.

"It will be a great opportunity for us to showcase our program and the game of volleyball, even though it is super popular in Edmonton and Alberta," said Wandler. "Hopefully, it inspires the next group of Griffins."

Because Regina doesn't have a men's team, MacEwan will host the Cougars for women's matches only Jan. 24-25. They close the season at home vs. Calgary (Feb. 14-15).

All home games are in the David Atkinson Gym.

New in 2024-25, Canada West has expanded the playoff format to include the 9 and 10 seeds for a Play-In round against 8 and 7, respectively (Feb. 21-23). From there, quarter-final series will be held Feb. 28 to March 1, with the Final Four (semifinals and finals) set for March 7-9.

The U SPORTS women's volleyball national championship will be hosted by Manitoba March 14-16.