Highly competitive Queens Volleyball Club setter Graves joining Griffins in 2025-26
Jefferson Hagen
MacEwan Athletics
EDMONTON – With one of Canada West's top setters in house – fifth-year Payton Shimoda – the learning opportunity behind her on the depth chart will be massive for two new setter recruits in the Griffins women's volleyball 2025-26 class.
Lacombe's Ella Graves will compete with already announced recruit Sofie Moore for the backup setter role on the Griffins in 2025-26 as they both vie for the starting position in 2026-27 once Shimoda graduates.
"It's huge," said Griffins head coach Chris Wandler of the opportunity for the rookies to learn from Shimoda – the Griffins' all-time career assists leader. "The mentorship that Payton's going to provide to both of them is invaluable. It's going to be interesting to watch those two grow not just this year but in five years with us."
Graves will join her Queens Volleyball Club teammate Chloe Pence on the Griffins in 2025-26 as she brings her competitive fire and strong leadership skills to the lineup.
"Ella is extremely competitive and has the respect of her teammates, which tells you everything you need to know about the kind of person and player she is," said Wandler. "She's going to raise the level in our gym every day and push everyone around her to be at their best."
It's a full circle moment for Wandler, who once coached her aunt Katie Graves from age of 15 through her post-secondary career at Red Deer College.
"I coached her aunt, so the familiarity with her family is very good," he said. "I know the DNA of Ella. She's highly competitive. She's feisty. She's going to make everyone around her better. There may have been some schools that shied away from the height factor (5-foot-5), but as we've seen with Payton (5-foot-8) and (5-foot-4 Katreena Bentley) from Manitoba – (two of the best in U SPORTS) – that doesn't matter. We play a system around that.
"Ella is exactly what we're looking for – a little work in progress, development and someone who will help create a really good culture here. That's what really attracted me to recruit Ella."
