Anika Buys hits against an Alberta block on Saturday (Graeme Kelly photo).
Anika Buys hits against an Alberta block on Saturday (Graeme Kelly photo).
February 15, 2026

Griffins finish 10th after 3-0 loss to Pandas; will meet UFV in first round of playoffs

Box Score

Jefferson Hagen
MacEwan Athletics

EDMONTON – Running into a team that had just seven errors on 79 attacking attempts, the MacEwan Griffins women's volleyball team could really just tip its cap.

U SPORTS No. 1 Alberta was that good in their own gym on Saturday night as they rolled to a 3-0 win over MacEwan (25-14, 25-18, 25-18) in the regular season finale for both teams.

"They were really good tonight," said Griffins head coach Chris Wandler. "They picked their game up another notch. Not to say that we didn't, but they blocked the ball very well. We had a little too many hitting errors on our side. 

"That being said, we played very well from a passing, defensive point of view and that's a mentality that will take us well into the playoffs."

A night after clinching a playoff spot, the full post-season picture became clear for the Griffins after they finished 7-13, good for 10th in Canada West. That will send them on the road next weekend for a best-of-three Play In series at No. 7 UFV (10-10).

Ironically, it's the same opponent the Griffins met the last time they were in the Canada West post-season in 2024. The winner next weekend will visit No. 2-seeded UBC in a best-of-three quarter-final a week later.

"They still have some remnants of that team from a couple years ago," said Wandler whose 2023-24 team lost 3-1 both nights in a 2-0 quarter-final series loss to the Cascades. "They're pretty solid. I'm going to have to watch some film, obviously and do some game-planning around that. But obviously any team that makes it into the playoffs is going to be a hard out, including ourselves."

Alberta grabbed the No. 1 seed in Canada West, finishing with an 18-2 record after Saturday's win over MacEwan. The Pandas' efficiency hit .380 for the match, compared to just .077 for the Griffins.

"Honestly, they're the No. 1-ranked team in the country for a reason," said Wandler. "They put you in difficult situations, but we were a very play-to-play, rally-to-rally type of team mentality regarding that and didn't let one play affect the next. So, (we saw) some good things heading into the playoff run."

The Pandas were led by Abby Guezen with 13 kills, while Allie Moore had five blocks and four kills.

MacEwan's attack was paced by Arden Butler, who had 10 kills on a .350 hitting percentage, while Kara Frith chipped in eight kills, two aces and seven digs. 

"Arden did a really good job two nights in a row passing and attacking the ball. (Libero Kaitlin) Rolph was solid again tonight. I thought Payton (Shimoda) distributed the ball really well and she's an underrated defensive player. She dug some really big balls tonight, so I'm very proud of that effort."

Shimoda had 27 assists to run her final program record career regular season total to 2,769, which passed two more on the Canada West all-time list and will nestle in at 17th in the conference's history.

"I think the things that she does off the court, in behind the scenes, in between rallies for her teammates is even more remarkable," said Wandler. "She just elevates everybody's game. She gives kudos when she needs to and a push when the players need it. She's a lot more than just assists and aces to our team. 

"She's going to be missed, but we need her for a few more weekends yet."