Griffins show incredible resolve, battling back from two down, barely losing in fifth set to Dinos
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
22 | 21 | 25 | 25 | 13 | 2 |
|
|
25 | 25 | 20 | 23 | 15 | 3 |
Team Stats
Calgary
| Game Statistics | MacEwan University | Calgary |
|---|---|---|
| Hitting % | .194 | .248 |
| Blocks | 11.0 | 9.0 |
| Digs | 55 | 67 |
| Aces | 11 | 13 |
Jefferson Hagen
MacEwan Athletics
CALGARY – For a while, it seemed the Griffins might go quietly into the night after they dropped the opening two sets of their first match of the season in Calgary on Friday night.
Instead, the contest turned into a classic as MacEwan roared back to force a fifth set and then nearly completed another incredible comeback in said set before falling 15-13 to lose the match 3-2 (25-22, 25-21, 20-25, 23-25, 15-13).
"Especially on the road and an opponent's gym that's hard to play in," said Griffins head coach Chris Wandler of how impressive their rally was. "It just goes to show the resiliency of the group. And just how much grit they have. I'm very proud of their effort."
Kara Frith led the Griffins with 19 kills, 12 digs and accounted for a match-high 21.5 points, while Alyshia Bryks had 15 kills on a .324 hitting percentage, adding three aces and five blocks.
Payton Shimoda recorded 46 assists, three aces and seven digs.
Kara Frith slams it home to put @MacEwanGriffins up 21-20 in the opening set.@UCDinos claw back to win Set 1 25-22.#GriffNation pic.twitter.com/xVubmXfcv0
— GriffinsWVB (@GriffinsWVB) October 18, 2025
"Kara was outstanding tonight," said Wandler. "Payton was obviously very good tonight. She ran a fantastic offence. Alyshia was doing Alyshia things – hitting the ball hard. She had a couple of big blocks in the fifth set to get us super close. Arden (Butler) chipped away. Everyone contributed. Chloe Penz led the team at key points when she came in and did her job."
If not for a bobble mid-fifth set, it very easily could have been the Griffins emerging with the victory on Friday.
"It was 5-5 and then we had a little mental breakdown in our receive," said Wandler. "Then it was 8-5 at the switch and we just couldn't get it back quick enough. In a 15-point set, if you let it slip away like that, it's really hard to get that momentum back in your favour, both tactically and emotionally as well.
"It was 11-6 and then we got it to 14-13. It was right there."
Anika Buys hammers it off the block to put the finishing touch on the @MacEwanGriffins' first set win of the season - 25-20 over @UCDinos.
— GriffinsWVB (@GriffinsWVB) October 18, 2025
They are down 2-1 in the match, looking to claw back in.#GriffNation pic.twitter.com/znM2ZuCDor
The Griffins will apply lessons learned to the rematch on Saturday (4 p.m., Canada West TV).
"We talked a lot about the emotional regulation of ourselves – just not being too up or too down, and not taking the last play into the next time," said Wandler. "We did that about 85 per cent of the time. I think those are the lessons that we learned.
"If we can do that, we'll be fine. That's the difference between good teams and great teams. They don't allow the last point to affect the next couple."
