Home Preview: Inaugural VB 'School Day' matches; WHKY hosts Trinity Western
Jefferson Hagen
MacEwan Athletics
EDMONTON – The potential is there for the David Atkinson Gym to be packed with school kids on Friday morning as the Griffins volleyball teams host the Winnipeg Wesmen.
MacEwan Athletics' first 'School Day' aims to start and grow a relationship with the Edmonton educational community as the game of volleyball is showcased.
"I've been a part of a number of those at other schools," said Griffins men's volleyball head coach Brad Poplawski. "A lot of times the kids are just excited to be out of school. Usually, they're pretty loud and raucous.
"Our hope is always that maybe there's a couple of kids that say 'volleyball looks pretty cool. I want to try that.' That's our hope that we can put on a good show and that a couple kids want to try volleyball out of it."
In other home action at MacEwan this weekend, the Griffins women's hockey team will host the Trinity Western Spartans for a pair of games as they look to build off getting a point against the Alberta Pandas last Saturday.
MEN'S VOLLEYBALL
On Tap
Friday: vs. Winnipeg, 1:30 p.m., David Atkinson Gym (women's match starts at 12 p.m.), Canada West TV
Saturday: vs. Winnipeg, 4:30 p.m., David Atkinson Gym (women's match starts at 3 p.m.), Canada West TV
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Last meeting
Jan. 20, 2024: MacEwan 0 at Winnipeg 3 (25-15, 25-17, 25-23)
Last game
Nov. 9: Alberta 1 at MacEwan 3 (25-15, 25-22, 20-25, 25-15)
Nov. 2: Winnipeg 3 at UFV 0 (25-22, 25-19, 25-23)
Standings
MacEwan (0-6) 12th
Winnipeg (6-0) 2nd
Brad Poplawski's coach's quote:
"We're just trying to build that belief in our athletes. Obviously, Alberta is the No. 1 team in the country and this week we have No. 3 coming in. U of A taught us some stuff about ourselves. At times we could hang with them. At times we could compete. We're trying to build off that. Winnipeg is very good, very physical, a very veteran team, so they just know how to play the game. They have a very different style than U of A, but they play it very well. They have one of the best players in the country in Isaiah Olfert. Some similarities to what we faced last week, but I think they do it a different way.
"We talked a lot heading into U of A about controlling the controllables and focusing on what we can do. So, I think that's still a big piece for us. Throughout the semester I've seen our guys' belief start to grow a little bit where they're not surprised to be in tight sets with good teams. We know it's going to take everything we have just to hang with these guys , but they're starting to see some belief where if they do the things we're training them to do that they can have some success. It's a huge challenge, huge opportunity and I think we're all just excited."
Players to watch
MacEwan: Jared Inia – The transfer from the reigning CCAA champion NAIT Ooks was dominant in preseason for the Griffins before suffering an injury that's kept him out of the lineup in all but spot duty last Saturday vs. Alberta when he made his debut. The New Zealand junior national team member will likely see more action this weekend.
Winnipeg: Isaiah Olfert – The reigning Canada West first team all-star leads the conference in kills (101) and is second in kills/set (4.21). Much like Canada West kills/set leader Isaac Heslinga brought last weekend for Alberta, Olfert will present a supreme challenge for the Griffins.
Notable
It's hard to believe, since he's only played six matches for the Griffins so far, but rookie Mitchell Croft is already within striking distance of 100 career kills, needing 26 to become the 14th player in the program's Canada West era to reach the milestone … Daylan Andison reached 250 career points against Alberta last Saturday and also passed 200 career kills, 10th all-time in the program's CW history … Both Andison and Seth Birkholz are approaching 150 career sets played, both entering the weekend with 146.
Kori Paterson battles Alberta's Natalie Kieser last weekend. The Griffins host Trinity Western this weekend (Rebecca Chelmick photo).
WOMEN'S HOCKEY
On Tap
Friday: vs. Trinity Western, 7 p.m., Downtown Community Arena, Canada West TV
Saturday: vs. Winnipeg, 3 p.m., Downtown Community Arena, Canada West TV
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Last meeting
Nov. 11, 2023: Trinity Western 5 at MacEwan 3
Last game
MacEwan: L, 1-0 (OT) at Alberta
Trinity Western: W, 4-1 vs. Saskatchewan
Standings
MacEwan (1-7-2): 4th East Division
Trinity Western (5-5-0): 4th West Division
Chris Leeming's coach's quote:
"We're looking to build off the growth of our team play the last two weekends against top programs in our league. Finding the consistency with our energy and physicality was a key element of being able to dictate the play throughout the past few games.
"Ultimately, it doesn't matter the opponent we are facing; when everyone contributes by committing to doing simple things better and getting to our game as soon as possible, we're setting ourselves up to embrace opportunities and find success as a team."
Players to watch
MacEwan: Brianna Sank – After an impressive 36-save effort against Alberta last Saturday that secured the Griffins a point, she brings a .931 save percentage into the weekend. Sank is within striking distance of Sandy Heim's all-time program minutes played record (4,184:11 from 2015-19), entering the weekend at 4,108:17.
Trinity Western: Olivia Leier – The fourth-year forward from Regina is leading the Spartans in scoring with two goals and seven points in 10 games so far. The Spartans assistant captain had three assists in two games against Saskatchewan last weekend.
Notable
The rivals will forever be linked after entering Canada West at the same time (2021) … The Spartans have several Edmonton area products on their roster: Brooke Dorash (Ardrossan), Chloe Reid (Leduc), Michela Naccarato (Edmonton), Jaidia Pisani (Sturgeon County), Mabel Maltais (Edmonton), and Olivia Davidson(Edmonton) … Jennifer Andrash and Kori Paterson share the Griffins' scoring lead with four points each.
