Three Stars: Kinsella, Semen, Vriend earn honours
MacEwan Athletics
EDMONTON – Cassidy Kinsella is the MacEwan Athletics first star of the week after her performance during a weekend sweep of the Winnipeg Wesmen in the Griffins' season finale.
Kinsella had 23 kills on Friday – the fourth-highest single game output in MacEwan's Canada West history – and her 11.0 points on Saturday moved her into second all-time on the conference's career list for that statistic.
Other athletes recognized this week include second star Jordan Semen of the mixed curling rink and third star Max Vriend of men's volleyball.
It's the second-straight first-star win for Kinsella, who was also named to the top honour on Feb. 13. The graduating senior was named to the list five times this season – the most by any MacEwan athlete – also earning third star on both Oct. 24 and Nov. 28, and second star on Jan. 16.
Vriend is making his second appearance on the list, having previously been honoured as first star on Nov. 21. Semen is making his first appearance on the list this season.
1st star: Cassidy Kinsella, OH, women's volleyball
Leduc, AB, fifth-year, Science
In her final weekend, graduating senior Kinsella put an exclamation mark on a university career that will end with her sitting second in Canada West's career kills (1299), second in career points (1477.5) and 17th in career digs (919).
All of this production only came in four years because her first season (2013-14) was in the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference before the Griffins joined Canada West.
Against Winnipeg on Friday, she was the major reason the Griffins rallied back from a 2-1 deficit, dominating the latter sets to lead her team to a 3-2 win. Her game-high 23 kills is her highest single game output of the season and fourth-highest of her Canada West career. She added an ace, a block and 12 digs.
On Saturday, with the match going quickly in the Griffins' favour, decided in three sets – two of which were blowouts – Kinsella still managed 10 kills, 14 digs and two blocks. She also accounted for 11.0 points, which pushed her past former TWU Spartan Sophie Carpentier for second in Canada West career points.
Kinsella leaves the MacEwan Griffins program holding every school career record except for assists.
2nd star: Jordan Semen, skip, mixed curling
Wainwright, AB, second-year, Commerce
Behind a winning strategy orchestrated by the skip, the Griffins captured the sixth ACAC mixed curling banner in program history and first since 2008 with a 7-5 victory over Portage College on Sunday in Camrose.
Semen and his rink of third Rebecca Bartz, second Aidan Munro, lead Andrea Bury, and alternates Quintin Bishop and Hilary Charlie, entered the final end on Sunday with the hammer, tied 5-5 with the Voyageurs.
Semen noted Portage loves lots of rocks in play, but they had none of that, aiming for as clean a sheet as possible. Munro, who throws the last stones, executed a peel and then a takeout to secure victory for MacEwan.
Semen and his rink went 3-0 through the round-robin, lost to Portage in the 1-2 game and beat NAIT in the semifinal before winning the gold medal.
MacEwan mixed team skip Jordan Semen, seen throwing a rock in the ACAC Winter Regional last month, led his rink to an ACAC Championship over the weekend in Camrose (Len Joudrey photo).
3rd star: Max Vriend, MB, men's volleyball
Barrhead AB, third-year, Commerce
The 6-foot-8 middle led the Griffins to a 3-1 win over nationally-ranked Winnipeg in their final match of the 2017-18 Canada West season last Saturday with 13 kills.
He posted that number on just 22 swings and ended with an efficiency of .500 – the third-highest percentage by a Griffins player in a Canada West match with a minimum of 20 attempts.
Vriend also added five blocks and accounted for a game-high 16.0 points in the contest, which ended MacEwan's season on a high note.
Against Winnipeg in a 3-0 loss on Friday, he tied for the team lead with 10 kills, adding three service aces, an assist, three digs and three blocks, while accounting for a game-high 15.0 points.
The third-year middle finishes with three new MacEwan Canada West single season records – blocks (79), blocks per set (1.11) and service aces per set (0.24), while also tying one – service aces (17). Vriend also led the Griffins in points per set (3.3).
Max Vriend hammers a kill down against Winnipeg Saturday. The third-year middle finished the season strong to set three new MacEwan single season Canada West records and tie another (Eduardo Perez photo).
