Unable to sustain momentum, Griffins fall 3-1 to Winnipeg in home opener
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
19 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
|
|
25 | 21 | 22 | 19 | 1 |
Team Stats
Winnipeg
| Game Statistics | Winnipeg | MacEwan University |
|---|---|---|
| Hitting % | .192 | .169 |
| Blocks | 9.0 | 10.0 |
| Digs | 51 | 35 |
| Aces | 5 | 2 |
Jefferson Hagen
MacEwan Athletics
EDMONTON – Momentum can be big in volleyball, so when there is a lack of it, it creates the type of vacuum effect that sucks a team into a downward spiral.
That's essentially what happened to the Griffins men's volleyball team during a 3-1 loss to Winnipeg in their Canada West home opener on Friday night.
There were multiple times in the match when they'd score a huge kill, end a long rally in their favour or put up a massive momentum-changing block … only to miss a serve or a kill attempt on the next point.
Pfffftt, the air just kept going out of their sails.
"You have to be able to back your points up and back your skills up," said Griffins head coach Brad Poplawski. "Volleyball can be a very momentous game. I remember off the top of my head five or six times where we got a big kill or won a big rally or got a big block and then (missed the next point)."
It all added up to a 19-25, 25-21, 25-22, 25-19 defeat in front of a raucous home crowd of 400+.
"Sometimes we got a big point and having them pass a two and let our block go to work is what we need – just finding ways to build the match and not stopping our own runs," said Poplawski. "If you serve two in row, don't miss that third one. If the guy in front of you missed, don't miss. "We need to find that balance of 'we've got to serve aggressive, we can't be safe,' but also the ability to make it and put them in trouble."
Things started nicely for the Griffins as they controlled the first set all the way through, looking comfortable and in rhythm.
When Carsten Bergeron and Alexander Lyndon executed a double block and Winnipeg missed a tip, the Griffins got to 20 up 20-15. From there, a cheeky pipe play tip by Jefferson Morrow put them in set point territory and the affair ended when Winnipeg's Matt Klysh put his serve into the net.
But the Wesmen came alive in Set 2, controlling it all the way. When Paxton Koop slammed two late quick hitters from the middle, the Wesmen took a commanding 22-16 lead into the final points, but MacEwan refused to go quietly and pulled to within three on a nifty roll shot by Morrow, but they were just too far back to make a full comeback.
The late momentum gained in Set 2 didn't carry over for the Griffins as the Wesmen jumped out to a quick 6-2 lead and MacEwan chased the whole way. After a quick hitter up the middle, followed by a huge block, Jonah Karsten brought the Griffins to within one (22-21). But a missed serve and a contentious call that the Griffins argued to no avail put MacEwan on the ropes and Winnipeg's Nigel Nielsen slammed home the set-deciding kill.
Jefferson Morrow and Carsten Bergeron go up for a joust at the net with Winnipeg's Matt Klysh (Robert Antoniuk photo).
It was more of the same in the fourth set as the Wesmen got a big block from Liam Kristjanson to open up a 14-11 lead and rode a wave of momentum to the finish line, capped off by Nielsen's big blast from the left side to put the lights out on MacEwan.
"In the first set, we sided out really efficiently," said Poplawski. "If we didn't get the first one, we 100 per cent got the second one. In the second set we kind of lost that side out rhythm where we took two, three, four sometimes.
"They're a scrappy team, they dig a lot. We talked all week that it's going to take two or three swings sometimes. I thought at times we maybe 'oh, they dug it?' and we were a bit surprised. So, that ability to reset quick and just find that side-out rhythm. They served a bit tougher and we lost our passing a little bit. Then it becomes a high-ball game instead of attacking four vs three, which is what we need to do."
MacEwan was led by Morrow, who produced 15 kills, while Alexei Walisser added 10.
Nielsen had a big game for the Wesmen with 22 kills, while Eric Dornez had 10 kills and Kristjanson had eight kills and five blocks.
The teams will meet again on Saturday (4 p.m., David Atkinson Gym, Canada West TV).
