Emerging middle talent Birkholz has been a constant amid Griffins’ tough injury situation

Jefferson Hagen
MacEwan Athletics

EDMONTON – If there is a positive the Griffins can pull out of a devastating injury situation that’s seen them go deep into their bench just six games into the season, it’s the minutes and experience that their young players are getting.

No less than 16 of the 19 players on the roster have seen action in at least two sets so far this season, including a handful who began the campaign as third-stingers at their position.

One of the biggest constants throughout the injury storm, though, has been second-year middle blocker Seth Birkholz. Only he and libero Daniel Hebert have played in all 19 sets of MacEwan’s season so far.

“I think it’s been a little challenging,” said Birkholz of the changing lineups every night as the team has had to adjust on the fly. “It’s always nice to be at full strength, but I think some guys have stepped up, which is awesome to see. They get thrown into the game at different points and they just come into the game and are able to do their job well.”

The Griffins are set to host the UBC Thunderbirds on Friday (6 p.m.) and Saturday (3 p.m., both David Atkinson Gym, Canada West TV).

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Birkholz shares the MacEwan team lead in blocks (8) and is third in kills (19) as he aims to take the next step in his Canada West career after flashing his talents as a rookie in limited playing time in 2022-23.

“He got in a little bit last year and that was good experience with the hope he’d earn that starting spot this year and run with it,” said Griffins head coach Brad Poplawski. “Sometimes you have a bit of success in your first year and you just assume it will be easier. I think at times he’s had frustration with ‘this league is really hard,’ but I love his attitude and work ethic. He’s constantly asking questions to get better. I think that experience helped him last year and now he’s trying to build on that and try to get established as a middle in our league. 

“Again, he’s quite young, just a second year, so learning how to read setters, learning how to read the game. But he’s asking the right questions, he’s working with the setters, he’s talking to coaches. He’s a student of the game and I love what he brings every day. He’s earned that (starting) spot this year and knock on wood, he’s stayed healthy and been really solid for us in that middle position.”

What Birkholz is bringing now is a product of the experience he gained last season, seeing action in 44 sets, finishing fifth on the team in blocks (25) and seventh in kills (22). 

“I think last year before any game was a lot of nerves,” he said. “Now I’m settling in. I’m going in not with a worried anxious, but an excited anxious.

“It’s just realizing the physicality of the league, so (it’s about) building up strength,” he said of the adjustment from Year 1. “The speed of the game is so fast coming out of high school, so just being able to read it more now and being more comfortable with it (is key).”

The hope is the by-product of MacEwan’s tough injury situation now will lead to several players gaining experience for the future just like Birkholz did.

“Obviously, we don’t want to put athletes out there when they’re not ready because you can kill their confidence, but with the circumstances being what they are, we’re somewhat limited,” said Poplawski. “The hope is this experience now and some tough lessons and growing pains will pay off in the long run.”

But this weekend is the here and now and the Griffins will be prepared for whatever lineup they put on the floor. 

“(Our injury situation) is in flux still, so I don’t know exactly,” said Poplawski on how healthy the team is going in. “This week, we’re testing different lineups and trying different things just so we have options on the weekend. We’re trying to plan for different scenarios.”

Whoever is on the court for the Griffins, there are some key goals for the weekend.

“Our biggest thing right now is offence,” said Poplawski. “We’re not killing the ball enough. That’s a big focus for us this week, finding different ways to score and how we can be more competitive that way. On the flip side, we’re giving up way too many kills against and teams are hitting percentages way too high against us. We’re just too easy to play against right now. We have to pride ourselves in being tougher to play against. 

“Those are our focus points for the week. When the weekend’s done, we’ll look at, were we successful in increasing our offence, being tougher to play against and limiting their offence? If you do enough of that, you can get results. Right now, we’re not doing enough of that.”