Road Preview: Semester concludes with volleyball at UBC, MHKY at Saskatchewan

Jefferson Hagen
MacEwan Athletics

EDMONTON – They’ve already run a gauntlet with one of the toughest fall schedules a team can face, but the MacEwan Griffins volleyball teams will have to run one more major test before the first semester concludes.

Both are visiting Canada West powerhouse UBC for a weekend series to conclude a tough first half of the campaign.

“UBC’s playing really well,” said men’s volleyball head coach Brad Poplawski. “They have a couple very good athletes, their setter distributes the ball extremely well. They have very big middles who are at 58 and 60 per cent hitting percentage right now, so they’re very efficient. And they have some very good outsides. We’ve obviously played some good teams this semester, so from our perspective, we know it’s going to be a battle and we’re going to have to work for everything we get this weekend.”

Meanwhile, the Griffins men’s hockey team hits the iron lung for trip to Saskatoon where they face the red-hot Huskies, who are fresh off a 5-3 win over the Alberta Golden Bears. The Griffins have been playing well, too, though, and enter the series only four points behind the Huskies for second in the East Division.

“It’s a testament to how well the guys have played this year,” said Griffins head coach Zack Dailey. “What we’re looking to do is just finish things on a high note. We’ve put ourselves in a very good position, but we’re playing a very good hockey team, who just beat U of A and have some confidence going. 

“It’s a great test for our group at the end of the semester, just to see where we’re at against a very good hockey team.”

Read more about each matchup below.

MEN’S VOLLEYBALL

On Tap

Friday: at UBC, 6:30 p.m. MT, Canada West TV

Saturday: at UBC, 5 p.m. MT, Canada West TV

Standings

MacEwan: 0-8 – 13th

UBC: 5-3 – 5th

Last meeting

Nov. 5, 2022: MacEwan 1 at UBC 3

Last game

Nov. 16: Winnipeg 3 at MacEwan 0

Nov. 23: UBC 3 at Mount Royal 0

Brad Poplawski’s coach’s quote:

“It’s kind of unique (to have two bye weeks in the fall). We went from 24 games to 20 this year. It’s a little different, but we just kept reinforcing our habits and our system. The bye week obviously gives you a chance to rest and give other guys a few more reps as they haven’t been playing as much. I thought we got some good work out of the bye week.

“For us, we’ve played teams that can bring that level (like UBC does), and we know what a big challenge it is and how we have to really be on in all facets of our game to make sure we can compete.”

Players to watch

MacEwan: Daylan Andison – One of just a few Griffins left from the last time MacEwan faced UBC in a regular season match, the veteran outside hitter has 36 kills in eight matches so, while leading the team in aces (four). His strong passing (32 digs) will be crucial for the Griffins to find success against UBC.

UBC: Mason Greves – The best setter in Canada West a year ago (a member of the first all-star team) is at it again, leading the conference in assists/set (10.81). His ability to set a varied attack makes the entire Thunderbirds offence so tough to stop.

Notable

Griffins rookie Mitchell Croft enters the weekend third in Canada West in kills/set (3.63) … UBC has the fourth- and fifth-ranked players – Gavin Moes (3.57) and Reeve Gingera (3.31).

Arden Butler leads the Griffins into action at UBC this weekend (James Maclennan photo).

WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL

On Tap

Friday: at UBC, 8:30 p.m. MT, Canada West TV

Saturday: at UBC, 7 p.m. MT, Canada West TV

Standings

MacEwan: 0-8 – 14th

UBC: 8-0 – 2nd

Last meeting

Nov. 5, 2022: MacEwan 0 at UBC 3

Last game

Nov. 16: Winnipeg 3 at MacEwan 1

Nov. 23: UBC 3 at Mount Royal 0

Chris Wandler’s coach’s quote:

“There’s always some things to judge how well you’re progressing. I think you do that by playing really good teams and finding out what you’re all about. You don’t really find those things out unless you’re really challenged. We’ve been challenged a lot and have been finding out lots about ourselves the whole semester. We could say we’re in tough. We are. But it’s just finding out a little bit more who we are as a team and how we can use the challenges for the second half of our season.”

Players to watch

MacEwan: Arden Butler – Prior to their bye week, Butler was the best Griffins player in their weekend series vs. Winnipeg Nov. 15-16, recording 22 kills in seven sets against the Wesmen. They’ll need her and many more clicking at their top level to challenge UBC this weekend.

UBC: Lucy Borowski – The fourth-year outside hitter is second in the conference in kills/set (3.82). The reigning Canada West first team all-star is going to be one of the toughest challenges the Griffins will face this season.

Notable

The UBC Thunderbirds are the two-time U SPORTS national champions … Former Griffins libero Bronwyn Ettinger, who helped lead MacEwan into the playoffs last season, now plays for UBC after transferring to the school for Applied Science studies. She’s ineligible to play for the Thunderbirds, however, until a year has passed since her last game with the Griffins (Feb. 24, 2024) … Alyshia Bryks leads the Griffins with 66 kills and 2.36 kills/set.

Liam Hughes celebrates a goal against Regina last weekend. He finished with three points in the two-game series (Rebecca Chelmick photo).

MEN’S HOCKEY

On Tap

Friday: at Saskatchewan, 6 p.m. MT, Canada West TV

Saturday: at Saskatchewan, 4 p.m. MT, Canada West TV

Standings

MacEwan: 7-5-2 – 3^rd East Division

Saskatchewan: 10-4-0 – 2^nd East Division

Last meeting

Jan. 20, 2024: Saskatchewan 7 at MacEwan 2

Last game

Nov. 23: Regina 3 at MacEwan 2 (SO)

Nov. 23: Saskatchewan 5 at Alberta 3

Zack Dailey’s coach’s quote:

“I think (last weekend) was just energy. For whatever reason, they felt tired going into the weekend, so we’re trying to manage energy levels this week in practice. There’s stuff we need to work on, but at the same time we don’t want to (wear them out). That’s kind of how it is at the end of a semester when they’ve been grinding for a long time. We have to be aware of our energy levels. I’ve been trying to do a good job of being productive but short at practice. Hopefully that will pay off on the weekend.”

Players to watch

MacEwan: Liam Hughes – The second-year forward returned to the lineup last weekend for the first time since Oct. 12 after missing four weekends of play due to an injury. He didn’t miss a beat, scoring a goal in each game against Regina and adding an assist.

Saskatchewan: Dawson Holt – The Huskies have long had the ability to score in bunches and their potent offence is led by the fourth-year forward, who is tied for the Canada West scoring lead with six goals and 20 points in 14 games.

Notable

This is the first meeting of the season between MacEwan and Saskatchewan. The Griffins have a 1-6-1 record against them since joining Canada West in 2021 with their one win coming on Nov. 11, 2022 at the Downtown Community Arena – a 3-1 triumph with Marc Pasemko scoring the winner … Pasemko leads the Griffins with six goals and 15 points in 14 games … Goaltender Brett Epp returned to the lineup last weekend for his first start since Oct. 5 after recovering from an injury and stopped 59 of 63 shots in MacEwan’s 4-2 win and 3-2 shootout loss to Regina.