MacEwan Athletics
EDMONTON – Women's volleyball student-athlete Mariah Bereziuk is the MacEwan Athletics' first star of the week after leading the Griffins to a weekend sweep over the Brandon Bobcats on the weekend.
Bereziuk overwhelmed the Bobcats with 37 kills in the span of seven sets as the Griffins grabbed 3-1 and 3-0 triumphs for their first victories of the Canada West season.
Men's volleyball outside hitter Jefferson Morrow and men's basketball guard Isaiah Merk were named second and third stars, respectively.
Bereziuk appears on the Three Stars list for the second time this season, having previously been named second star on Nov. 1, while both Morrow and Merk are being honoured for the first time in 2022-23.
1st STAR: Mariah Bereziuk, OH, women's volleyball
Boyle, AB, third-year, Commerce
The third-year outside hitter stepped up in a big way to lead the Griffins to their first weekend sweep since Feb. 1, 2020.
In Friday's 3-1 victory over the Bobcats, Bereziuk produced 20 kills on a .395 hitting percentage, adding two aces, eight digs and four blocks, and accounted for 25.0 points as MacEwan tasted victory for the first time this season.
That's the sixth-most points ever by a Griffins women's volleyball player in a Canada West match, and it came in just four sets.
In Saturday's 3-0 win over Brandon, Bereziuk again led the Griffins with 16 kills on a .200 attack percentage, adding 10 digs, two blocks and accounting for 17.0 points.
For the season, Bereziuk is sixth in Canada West with 126 kills in 10 matches – a rate of 3.60/set, which is also sixth in the conference.
Bereziuk leads the Griffins into a weekend home series vs. Trinity Western on Friday (6 p.m.) and Saturday (5:30 p.m., both David Atkinson Gym, both Canada West TV).
2nd STAR: Jefferson Morrow, OH, men's volleyball
Wynnum, AUS, third-year, Arts
Jefferson Morrow, seen in action against Winnipeg earlier this season, produced 34 kills in a pair of matches at Brandon on the weekend (Eduardo Perez photo).
Morrow's consistency in all aspects of the game was on display on MacEwan's road trip to Brandon on the weekend as the Griffins, as a team, passed the best they have all season.
In Friday's narrow 3-2 defeat, Morrow led MacEwan with 20 kills on a .185 hitting percentage, adding two aces, eight digs and four blocks, and accounted for 25.0 points – tied for the eighth-most in a Canada West match by a Griffins player.
In Saturday's 3-0 loss to the Bobcats, Morrow again led the Griffins with 14 kills on a .231 attack percentage, adding two aces, seven digs and one block, and accounted for 17.0 points.
For the season, Morrow is second on the Griffins with 113 kills, but leads the team in kills/set average (3.53), a mark that's eighth in the conference.
Morrow will lead MacEwan into weekend action vs. Trinity Western on Friday (7:30 p.m.) and Saturday (4 p.m., both David Atkinson Gym, Canada West TV).
3rd STAR: Isaiah Merk, G, men's basketball
Regina, SK, first-year, Commerce
Isaiah Merk produced 24 points on 5-for-6 shooting from the three-point line to set two program records on Saturday against Winnipeg (Eduardo Perez photo).
Getting hot from the three-point line, the first-year guard broke two program rookie records with his play against Winnipeg last weekend.
In Saturday's narrow 87-80 loss to the Wesmen, Merk led the Griffins with 24 points on 5-for-6 shooting from behind the arc, adding six rebounds in 32 minutes on the court.
His point production broke a record that Marco Correas and Damilola Osuma set last season when they both had 18 points in a game. And Merk's three-point shooting prowess topped a rookie record for three-pointers set last season by Matthew Osunde when he went 4-for-5 in a game against Calgary.
Merk also had five points, three rebounds and two assists in 22 minutes of Friday's 73-49 loss to the Wesmen.
For the season, Merk is fourth on the Griffins in scoring, averaging 8.8 points per game, and second in assists (1.5).
Merk will lead the Griffins out on the road this weekend as they visit Thompson Rivers University for matches on Friday and Saturday (both 8:30 p.m., MT, Canada West TV).
