Jefferson Hagen
MacEwan Athletics
EDMONTON – Embracing the concept of 'Competitive Greatness', the Griffins women's volleyball team has been putting in the work since training camp began late last month.
Early morning workouts and video preparation have been commonplace on top of regular practice time as the team aims to take a step forward in 2022-23.
"I think it's really important to emphasize how hard the girls have been working and how committed they are to the program right now," said interim head coach Dusty Freimark. "It's a really exciting time for us. We all feel really excited."
And that excitement is building to a crescendo because the preseason is about to begin for the Griffins.
They'll visit cross-town rival Alberta on Friday (4 p.m.) and Saturday (2 p.m., both Saville Centre), officially kicking off an eight-game non-conference slate.
For Freimark, who not only played for the Pandas (2002-04) but was also on their coaching staff (2006-07 and 2008-09 under head coach Laurie Eisler), the weekend will be one filled with familiarity. Additionally, she was also founder, manager and head coach of the Pandas Volleyball Club (2011-18), so the Saville Centre is like a second home.
"I definitely have some mixed feelings about it, growing up in the Panda gym, going in as a cross-town rival," said Freimark. "But I'm really excited. I can kind of leave some of my nervousness behind because Laurie's such a supporter of women in sport and she genuinely wants the best (for you). Don't get me wrong; she's a fierce competitor, but I also know her heart has good intentions. I know at the end of the day; she would be someone I can rely on for advice after a training session."
That's important for Freimark, who took over the program on an interim basis just last month. That means a whole lot of new concepts for the team and an adjustment period that comes with building coach-athlete relationships.
"With any new coach, there's a lot of new things being brought into the mix," she said. "The athletes are doing a lot of learning right now and asking the right questions."
Now they'll get a chance to put it all into action against a perennial U SPORTS powerhouse.
"This is a really great way for us to see where we're at," said Freimark. "This is a test. We need to be able to put out what we have and see where we rank and end up, so we can come back and fix what we need to fix, work on what we need to work on.
"There's no one better to do that against than one of the top programs in the country. We have goals of one day being one of the top programs in the country. So, we're really excited. We're just using this as a 'where are we at right now?' "
Further preseason tests will follow. The Griffins will travel to Regina Sept. 23-25 for four games against Winnipeg, Regina, Manitoba and Brandon before finishing the preseason at a Red Deer College tournament Oct. 10 where they'll meet the hosts and the University of Calgary.
"I think every day we're trying to get better," said Freimark. "With the University of Regina tournament coming up, we haven't seen those teams in a while because last year they played within their province. So, it will be really good for the girls to see the teams again and just start planning and prepping for when we start."
The Griffins open the season at home vs. Winnipeg on Oct. 21 (6 p.m., David Atkinson Gym, Canada West TV).
