Slow start, low attacking efficiency numbers hold Griffins back in 3-1 Game 1 loss to UFV

UFV Athletics and MacEwan Athletics

ABBOTSFORD, B.C. – On a night that started with a 30-minute delay due to a fire alarm in the UFV Athletic Centre, it was the UFV Cascades that caught fire on the court. The hosts captured a 3-1 (25-19, 25-16, 21-25, 25-19) victory over the MacEwan Griffins in Game 1 of the Canada West women's volleyball play-in. 

The Cascades, who enter the playoffs as the seventh seed, hit a combined .245 on the night, while the 10th seeded Griffins were kept to just .130.

"We didn't respond," Griffins head coach Chris Wandler noted after the match. "I don't know whether it was the weird start or just us not being ready to grow, but it wasn't what we expected. I thought we responded better coming into the third set, but UFV adjusted to that and by then we got down a few points and tried to play side-out volleyball but just couldn't play catch up.

"We'll look at some tape and see if we can adjust, but (expect) a little bit of a better response by our team, and we've been doing that all year, so I'm curious to see what that brings us tomorrow."

Game 2 of the series will go on Saturday (7 p.m. MT) with the Griffins aiming to force a deciding Game 3 on Sunday (4 p.m. MT)

A balanced attack from MacEwan saw Alyshia Bryks and Kara Frith each score 11 kills, while Arden Butler added nine of her own. Setter Payton Shimoda had 31 assists, and Kaitlyn Rolph had a match-high 18 digs.

"Kaitlin Rolph played really well" said Wandler. "Our middle blockers and Alyshia adjusted to their attack a little later on and obviously Payton is the heartbeat of our team."

Ultimately, the Griffins' efficiency wasn't good enough in the match. But UFV also played well defensively, negating some of MacEwan's attacks that might otherwise score. 

"Playoff volleyball is very ugly sometimes," said Wandler. "You're not going to get the clean kills. Too many times we were maybe hunting for those, and we weren't very good with balls that we maybe needed to kill off the block and transition. 

"We'll be better tomorrow."

Nice net sequence put the @MacEwanGriffins in the driver's seat in Set 3!#GriffNation pic.twitter.com/3XWqPJ6T2E

— GriffinsWVB (@GriffinsWVB) February 21, 2026

UFV's attack was led by Lauren Attieh with 18 kills, and Mandi Feist knocked down 16 of her own. Talia Attieh added 10 kills and a team-high 17 digs, while libero Reanna Gage had 12 digs and setter Cailin Bitter had 38 assists.

"We prepared really well, so we could just play our game", explained UFV fifth year middle Sydney Wright after the match. 

"It felt like we were always in control, and we were excited that they were bringing their best volleyball (in the third set). It's playoffs, so you always want to play a good opponent."

After the Cascades raced out to a 15-10 lead in the opening set, the Griffins battled back, scoring four straight points capped off by an Arden Butler ace to pull back within one. UFV answered back with kills from Talia Attieh and Feist before Attieh and Wright combined for a block to pull away once more. Four kills from Lauren Attieh down the stretch would help the hosts seal it 25-19.

Cross-court gem!
Kara Frith keeps the @MacEwanGriffins in the fight midway through the opening set of Game 1 of their @CanadaWest Play In series at @UFVCascades.#GriffNation pic.twitter.com/XlrsrX5BcI

— GriffinsWVB (@GriffinsWVB) February 21, 2026

UFV continued to play lights out in the second set by finding 15 kills and three aces, compared to just six kills from MacEwan, as they led almost the entire frame on the way to the 25-16 set win. 

The Griffins hit back in the third, building a 7-2 lead after aces from Frith and Anika Buys. UFV slowly chipped away at the advantage, but after three straight kills from Butler the visitors led 16-11. The teams would trade short runs in the latter stages of the set, but a Frith kill finished it off 25-21.

Kara Frith puts Set 3 away with authority!@MacEwanGriffins' rally is on its way as they take it 25-21 and now trail 2-1 to @UFVCascades.#GriffNation pic.twitter.com/bEAx8ti8g7

— GriffinsWVB (@GriffinsWVB) February 21, 2026

"We did better with our pass-serve game, for sure," said Wandler of the third set. "We definitely controlled that part of it. We just put a little bit more pressure on them. 

"They responded in the fourth. We made too many attacking errors and margins are small. They slowly crept away and gained some momentum. We just couldn't keep up."

Early runs in the fourth gave the Cascades a 22-13 lead and, despite the Griffins mounting a late push, a massive block from UFV rookie outside hitter Bianca Pura ended the match.

"It was definitely a slow start for us," summed up Wandler. "They played a really fast-paced game, so it was tough for us to adjust to. But we'll respond tomorrow."