Three Stars: Stevenson, Ajayi, Steele earn honours
MacEwan Athletics
EDMONTON – Women's volleyball student-athlete McKenna Stevenson is the MacEwan Athletics' first star of the week after back-to-back dominant performances that led the Griffins to a weekend sweep over the University of Calgary Dinos.
Stevenson racked up 26 total kills, while accounting for 34.0 points over the weekend, as the Griffins played road warriors, beating the Dinos 3-0 on both nights. Her .542 hitting percentage on Friday marked the second-best efficiency ever by a Griffins player in a Canada West match.
Other athletes recognized this week include second star Olamide Ajayi of men's volleyball and third star Emma Steele of women's cross country.
It's the first inclusion on the three stars list this season for all three student-athletes.
1st STAR: McKenna Stevenson, MB, women's volleyball
Spruce Grove, AB, fifth-year, Arts
The fifth-year middle was a huge reason why the Griffins swept the Calgary Dinos in straight sets on both Friday and Saturday to get back to .500 in the Canada West standings.
In Friday's 3-0 win, Stevenson had a team-high 15 kills, while recording the second-best efficiency (.542) ever by a Griffin in a Canada West match. She added one service ace, two blocks and three digs, while accounting for 17.0 points.
In Saturday's 3-0 win, she was dominant again with a co-game high 11 kills on .450 efficiency, accounting for a game-high 16.0 points, while adding a game-high four aces, two blocks and a dig.
For the season, Stevenson is the fourth-most efficient player in Canada West with a .313 average, while she sits tied for eighth in points/set (3.6), tied for 17th in kills/set (2.62) and tied for 14th in service aces/set (0.46).
Stevenson and the Griffins are on a bye week before heading into home action against Brandon on Nov. 22.
2nd STAR: Olamide Ajayi, OH, men's volleyball
Edmonton, AB, first-year, Arts
The 17-year-old rookie started for the first time in his university career on Saturday in Calgary and was a force for the Griffins – igniting the offence with 17 kills on a .387 hitting percentage.
Accounting for 21.0 points, while adding a co-game high three service aces, two blocks and four digs, Ajayi made one of the finest rookie debuts in the history of the program, as the Griffins gave U SPORTS No. 11 Calgary all they could handle in a 3-1 defeat.
Ajayi also played late in MacEwan's 3-0 loss to Calgary on Friday, coming in at 25-25 in the third set and immediately combined with Noah Johnson to block Dinos kills leader Mac McNicol.
Ajayi and the Griffins are on a bye week before heading hosting Brandon on Nov. 22 – the team's home opener.
Rookie Ola Ajayi recorded 17 kills in his first U SPORTS start on Saturday in Calgary (Jefferson Hagen photo).
3rd STAR: Emma Steele, women's cross country
Edmonton, AB, second-year, Arts
Steele finished 57th overall in field of 156 competitors at U SPORTS national cross country championship in Kingston, Ont., on Saturday.
The 2018 Canada West second team all-star finished as the top Griffin and her time of 30:26 in women's 8K placed her 15th among Canada West athletes.
For perspective, that would have placed her just one spot shy of a conference all-star team spot had the teams not already been decided at last month's Canada West championship.
Emma Steele finished 57th at the U SPORTS national championship in Kingston, Ont. on Saturday (Linda Miller photo).
