Three Stars: Bereziuk, Osunde, Kilbreath earn honours
MacEwan Athletics
EDMONTON – Women's volleyball student-athlete Mariah Bereziuk is the MacEwan Athletics first star of the week after breaking one and tying another of the program's most prominent single-match records.
In Saturday's 3-1 loss to Trinity Western, Bereziuk matched the Griffins women's volleyball record for the most kills in a Canada West match with 25 and broke the mark for the most points with 28.0.
Men's basketball guard Matthew Osunde and women's basketball guard Noelle Kilbreath are the second and third stars, respectively.
This is Bereziuk's fifth time making the three stars list this season after also being named first star on Oct. 31, Nov. 21, Nov. 28, Jan. 23. It's the first time a Griffins student-athlete has ever received five first-star nods in a single season since the Three Stars awards began in 2016.
Osunde appears for the third time in 2023-24 after earning first star honours on Nov. 7 and third star on Jan. 16.
Kilbreath is on the list for the fifth time after being named first star on Jan. 16, and third star three previous times (Nov. 7, Jan. 9 and Jan. 30).
Mariah Bereziuk, seen in action against Trinity Western last Friday, matched a program record with 25 kills broke another one with 28.0 points on Saturday against the Spartans (Mark Janzen photo).
1st STAR: Mariah Bereziuk, OH, women's volleyball
Boyle, AB, fourth-year, Commerce
Bereziuk's incredible final season continued with a match for the ages at Trinity Western on Saturday night.
Everything she touched seemed to score for the Griffins, who pushed the Spartans in a 3-1 defeat.
Bereziuk finished with a match-high 25 kills, matching Cassidy Kinsella's program record for the most by a Griffin in a Canada West match (Kinsella hit that mark three times in her career). And she broke the record for the most points with 28.0 (the previous mark was 26.5, shared by Kinsella and Lauren Holmes).
Both are match highs across the entire Canada West conference for a four-set match this season.
Bereziuk also had 10 kills, three aces, six digs and accounted for 13.0 points in MacEwan's 3-0 loss to Trinity Western on Friday.
For the season, she leads the Griffins with 290 kills (fourth in CW) and is averaging 3.97 kills/set (second in CW). Only Kinsella's 4.09 average in 2016-17 has been better in MacEwan's Canada west history. Bereziuk's 4.7 points/set average is currently ahead of the program record of 4.6, set by Kinsella in 2016-17.
The Griffins will conclude the regular season this weekend vs. UBC Okanagan on Friday (7:30 p.m.) and Saturday (4:30 p.m., both David Atkinson Gym, Canada West TV).
Matthew Osunde nearly had two double doubles against the second-ranked team in the nation over the weekend and finished the season with a program record for the higher minutes/game average by a Griffin (James Maclennan photo).
2nd STAR: Matthew Osunde, G, men's basketball
Morinville, AB, third-year, Science
The electric guard wrapped up the 2023-24 season with a big weekend against the No. 2-ranked team in the country, the Victoria Vikes.
In Friday's 95-47 loss, Osunde led the Griffins with his third double double of the season, recording 17 points and 14 rebounds, adding three assists and three steals.
In Saturday's 87-58 defeat, Osunde narrowly missed another double double with 11 points and nine boards. He added an assist, two steals and a block in 38 minutes.
After wrapping up the season, Osunde finished with a 37.3 minutes/game average for 2023-24, which is the highest in the program's Canada West history, eclipsing the previous record held by Lee Danderfer (35.7 in 2014-15).
Osunde also moved into the top five in career points by a Griffin in Canada West play, his 651 total passing Thadius Galvez (644) on the list.
For the season, he led the Griffins in points (250), rebounds (138), assists (93) and steals (51).
Noelle Kilbreath went out in style on her final night as a Griffin, scoring 25 points and adding nine rebounds against Victoria on Saturday (James Maclennan photo).
3rd STAR: Noelle Kilbreath, G, women's basketball
Calgary, AB, fourth-year, Science
Saving one of her best performances for last, Kilbreath was locked in on the final night of her illustrious Griffins career, scoring a game-high 25 points against the Victoria Vikes on Saturday.
In the narrow 69-56 defeat, Kilbreath almost had a double double, adding nine rebounds to go along with four assists, four steals and a block. She reached 693 career points, passing former teammate Shannon Majeau (673) for fifth on the Griffins' all-time Canada West scoring list.
In Friday's 75-33 loss, Kilbreath also led the Griffins in scoring with 12 points, adding three rebounds, an assist and a steal.
For the season, Kilbreath led the Griffins in points (242), assists (30) and steals (30). Her points/game average of 16.1 is the fourth best by a Griffin in a Canada West season and was tied for fifth in the conference.
