Three Stars: Raza, Zachary, Ivicak earn honours
MacEwan Athletics
EDMONTON – Ali Raza is MacEwan Athletics' first star of the week after leading the Griffins men's basketball team to a split at Winnipeg in their final weekend before semester break.
Most notably, Raza produced a double-double (17 points and 12 rebounds) to lead the Griffins to an 88-66 victory on Saturday.
Other athletes recognized this week include second star Ryan Zachary of the men's volleyball team and third star Kayla Ivicak of the women's basketball squad.
Both Raza and Zachary crack the three stars list for the first time this season, while Ivicak is making it for the second time, having previously been awarded first star on Nov. 4.
This is the final three stars honours of 2017 as Griffins student-athletes take a break from competition until the new year. Look for our next three stars on Jan. 9, 2018.
1st STAR: Ali Raza, W, men's basketball (Calgary, AB, third-year, Science)
Raza led the Griffins to an 88-66 victory over the Winnipeg Wesmen in their final action before the semester break on Saturday with a huge double-double. The third-year wing posted 17 points, 12 rebounds, five steals, a block and two assists in 27 minutes of work.
It's Raza's second double-double of the 2017-18 campaign, moving him into a tie for second in MacEwan's Canada West record book for most in a season and he still has 10 games left to challenge Ryan May's record of five, set in 2014-15.
In MacEwan's 93-83 loss on Friday to the Wesmen, Raza had 13 points (second-most on the Griffins), seven rebounds, five assists and a team-high two blocks in 32 minutes.
For the season, Raza is leading MacEwan in points (14.0 per game), rebounds (6.9) and blocks (1.0), while sitting second in assists (2.1) and third in steals (1.0).
2nd STAR: Ryan Zachary, OH, men's volleyball (Airdrie, AB, first-year, Science)
Two weeks after setting the MacEwan record for most kills in a Canada West match by a rookie, Zachary was at it again, producing two solid games against the No. 1-ranked team in USPORTS.
Although the Griffins lost 3-1 on Friday to Trinity Western, they deserved a better fate in the fourth set and came close to upsetting the defending national champs. Zachary was a big reason why with a team-high 10 kills on a .111 percentage, adding two service aces, three digs and four blocks as he accounted for 14.5 MacEwan points.
In Saturday's rematch, won 3-0 by the Spartans, Zachary had seven kills on .238 percentage, adding two aces and two blocks in accounting for a team-high 10.5 points.
For the season, the impressive freshman leads the Griffins in kills (110), points (133.0) and aces (11), while sitting third in blocks (22).
Ryan Zachary is in the midst of a terrific rookie season for the Griffins men's volleyball team (Chris Piggott photo).
3rd STAR: Kayla Ivicak, G, women's basketball (St. Albert, AB, fourth-year, Commerce)
The fourth-year guard recorded her fifth double-double of the 2017-18 campaign (in just 10 games) with a monster effort in Saturday's 68-56 loss at the Winnipeg Wesmen.
Ivicak had 20 points, 15 rebounds, three steals and an assist in 38 minutes – one of the most dominant games in all of Canada West this season.
Although the season is only half over, Ivicak has already moved into second all-time in most double doubles by a Griffins women's basketball player in a Canada West campaign. Only Kelly Fagan's eight in 2014-15 is greater.
During a 62-54 defeat on Friday, Ivicak had 12 points, four rebounds and an assist in 27 minutes of work after getting into some early foul trouble.
For the season, the St. Albert product leads the Griffins in points (15.2 per game – 13th in Canada West), rebounds (9.6 – sixth in Canada West) and steals (3.0 – third in Canada West).
Kayla Ivicak recorded her fifth double-double of the season on Saturday in Winnipeg (Robert Antoniuk photo).
