Anika Buys, right, celebrates a point with setter Payton Shimoda, left, and Kara Frith on Saturday (Zachary Peters photo).
Anika Buys, right, celebrates a point with setter Payton Shimoda, left, and Kara Frith on Saturday (Zachary Peters photo).
February 9, 2025

Griffins reach top level with gritty effort that pushes U SPORTS No. 3 Manitoba in tight 3-1 loss

Box Score

Jefferson Hagen
MacEwan Athletics

-with files from Bisons Athletics

WINNIPEG – Although their gritty efforts didn't show up in the win column, the MacEwan Griffins women's volleyball team was riding a high after they may have played their best match of the season on Saturday. 

They pushed the U SPORTS No. 3 Manitoba Bisons before falling 3-1 (25-20, 27-25, 22-25, 25-15).

"We played better than last night, I thought," said Griffins head coach Chris Wandler.

"We just got a little tired and we ran into a tough server at the end of the fourth set. That's why that score was a little bit more lopsided. But we had chances to win that second set. We were up by two or three points inside of 20 and we just couldn't find a way to finish it off. The game was super, super close."

With the result, Manitoba keeps its 14-game winning streak alive to improve to 16-4, while MacEwan drops to 2-16.

Payton Shimoda led the Griffins with 47 assists, which cracks the top-10 of the most prolific setter performances in MacEwan's Canada West history … and it was only in four sets. This comes a night after broke the program's all-time assists record and is now up to 2,060 over her career.

"I refer to Payton as the mail person," said Wandler. "She should be working for Fed Ex. She was delivering it today. 

"That doesn't come without the help from our defence and our serve-receive, of course."

But Shimoda was on fire, as evidenced by the numbers. Five different Griffins had at least eight kills in the match, led by Alyshia Bryks (17), Arden Butler (9), Evangeline Zeyha (9), Kara Frith (8) and Anika Buys (8).

"Alyshia had a really strong weekend," said Wandler. "She wasn't letting anything go. The 17 kills, I think she had a few blocks and her defensive part of the game, too, was great. 

"And our young middle blockers did well, too – Vange and Anika. Anika was playing in her hometown in front of her (family and friends) all weekend, so that was pretty big for her. 

"Kara and Arden were very good and Madi Hoppus was rock solid. Everyone had a little bit of a touch on the way we played this weekend."

Set 1 was a defensive slugfest. The two sides combined for 33 digs and ten assisted blocks. 

A Butler kill, her fourth of the game, made it 20-19 Manitoba, but the Herd pushed back and closed things out with their depth. 

Chloe Ellerbrock posted a solo block that helped Manitoba surge ahead 24-20. An error eventually gave the hosts the set by five. 

It was a setters showcase in set two, as Katreena Bentley and Shimoda went pass for pass, distributing the ball brilliantly in a slugfest. 

The Griffins had set point at 24-23 following a Frith cross-court kill, but Bentley found Andi Almonte, who went hard off hands to tie the game at 24, and then dished a perfect back set to Raya Surinx – the match leader with 20 kills – who pained the back line. A Griffins error later ended the set.

The Griffins surged ahead to a four-point lead in set three, at 11-7 and didn't trail the rest of the way in a 25-22 win. Bryks was instrumental, with six kills in the set, including the winner off of hands from the left. 

Manitoba tied the game at 16 following a Surinx kill from the right, while middle Brenna Bedosky had five kills and a perfect hitting percentage entering the fourth, but a combined 43 digs helped the Griffins keep multiple rallies alive, led by 13 each from Butler and Frith. 

The fourth set was tight for vast portions, but the hosts eventually pulled away. A one-handed dig from Arnold led to a Surinx roll shot for a kill and a 13-12 lead, and from there Manitoba out-scored GMU 12-2. 

Still, there are plenty of positives for the Griffins to take into their final weekend of the regular season as they return home to host Calgary on Feb. 14-15.

"I told everybody, you always want the way you play to show up a lot earlier in the season," said Wandler, whose squad is just going to run out of time in 2024-25. "And you never know when it comes, but it's here. It never comes with an invitation or lights blinking, this is it. 

"We're going to try and hold onto this feeling for one more weekend and try to finish off our season playing at our highest level."