Bryks breaks program points record as Griffins' rally falls just short in five-set loss to Huskies
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
25 | 25 | 23 | 23 | 15 | 3 |
|
|
22 | 14 | 25 | 25 | 8 | 2 |
Team Stats
Saskatchewan
MacEwan University
| Game Statistics | Saskatchewan | MacEwan University |
|---|---|---|
| Hitting % | .231 | .160 |
| Blocks | 10.0 | 9.0 |
| Digs | 77 | 59 |
| Aces | 12 | 6 |
Jefferson Hagen
MacEwan Athletics
EDMONTON – The emotional roller-coaster ride was so intense early in Friday afternoon's match that the Griffins had nothing left when it counted most.
When the chips were down in the middle of the fifth-and-deciding set, it was the visiting Saskatchewan Huskies who found a wave of momentum at the right time, closing on a 10-2 run to win a marathon match 3-2 (25-22, 25-14, 23-25, 23-25, 15-8).
"We let the first set go; it's extremely disappointing," said Griffins head coach Chris Wandler, whose team at one point held a 7-1 lead in the opener as they rode the energy of a 'School Day' crowd of more than 200 excited students. "We didn't emotionally recover from that in time to lose the second. We won two tight ones and then it was too much of an emotional drain (in the fifth set).
"It's too hard when you don't execute and finish that first one off. That was the hardest part about that. It takes so much energy and focus that we just didn't have enough of that in one rotation and that was the deciding factor in the fifth set."
Keely Anderson held court at the service line for nine-straight serves as the fifth set went from a 6-6 tie to 14-6 with her in control.
"No. 10 was a very good server," said MacEwan's Alyshia Bryks. "She just kept going with her serve. She wasn't afraid to make a mistake either."
That was also Bryks' mantra in the contest as she was on fire for the Griffins, finishing with a career-high 23 kills and 30.5 points, which broke the program record of 28.0 – previously held by Mariah Bereziuk – for the most by a MacEwan WVB player in a Canada West match.
The 30.5 points are also the most by any Canada West women's volleyball player this season.
NEW RECORD��
— MacEwan Griffins (@MacEwanGriffins) November 28, 2025
Congrats to @GriffinsWVB outside Alyshia Bryks, who broke the record for the most points by a Griffin in a @CanadaWest match this afternoon.
She had 30.5 points in a five-set marathon contest vs. @HuskieWVB, topping Mariah Bereziuk's old mark of 28.0.#GriffNation pic.twitter.com/i981uxSTDC
"It feels really good," said Bryks, whose 23 kills are also tied for the fifth-most by a Griffin in the program's Canada West era. "I couldn't have done it without my teammates supporting me on and off the court. You can't get a kill without the pass, without the set."
Bryks had that production on a solid .286 efficiency, as well, adding three aces, two assists, seven digs and eight blocks.
"It was honestly just swinging away and not being afraid to go for it," she said. "I think a few more of us need to have that mentality. Not worrying too much if you make a mistake – just swinging away."
What a start!
— GriffinsWVB (@GriffinsWVB) November 28, 2025
Alyshia Bryks smashes it through the block to give the @MacEwanGriffins a 7-1 lead in the opening set vs. @HuskieWVB.#GriffNation pic.twitter.com/cJ1hkBidDk
Payton Shimoda had 41 assists for the Griffins, Kara Frith added 15 kills and Kaitlin Rolph finished with 16 digs.
Saskatchewan was led by Taryn Hannah, who recorded 21 kills, three aces and 17 digs. Setter Tielle Hagel reached 50 assists, also setting up double-digit kills for Rosetta Cyr (15) and Jessica Bergstrom (14).
With the result, Saskatchewan improves to 8-3, dropping MacEwan to 3-6 after stopping the Griffins' two-game winning streak. If there is any consolation, the Griffins picked up a point by taking it to five sets, which could come into play as a tiebreaker in the playoff race.
"There are some moral victories, for sure, knowing that you have to be able to focus and execute when it's really tough," said Wandler. "Doing that consistently is the hard part.
"I thought we were right there with them. We couldn't control 4 (Bergstrom). I thought we had a good game plan versus 4. To me, it's just a little bit disappointing we let that squeeze away."
That's going to land out!
— GriffinsWVB (@GriffinsWVB) November 28, 2025
Kara Frith's serve on Set Point is going to be an ace as the @MacEwanGriffins take Set 3 25-23.
It's 2-1 @HuskieWVB in the match.#GriffNation pic.twitter.com/n4yZztAMCZ
The teams will meet again on Saturday (3 p.m., David Atkinson Gym, Canada West TV). Key for the Griffins will be to reset emotionally, mentally and physically.
"That's the big thing," said Wandler. "It takes a physical, mental, emotional drain to play a really tough team like that. Now, every individual (on the team) has to get their bodies (recovered), their nutrition (satisfied) right away. As soon as they walk out of the door, it's 'how do I get my body and mind ready for tomorrow?' "
