Wall of Distinction 2026: Ross' dominant career left her as Griffins' all-time kills, points and digs leader
Jefferson Hagen
MacEwan Athletics
This is the third of four features on the 2026 class being inducted into the MacEwan Griffins' Wall of Distinction, which will be celebrated during the department's annual Awards Gala this Saturday.
Tuesday: Linda Swallow (Marshall), Swimming
Wednesday: Melody Woolger (Howard), Women's Hockey
Today: Cassidy Ross (Kinsella), Women's Volleyball
Friday: TBA
EDMONTON – So dominant was Cassidy Ross (nee Kinsella) during her volleyball career at MacEwan that she has more than double the amount of career kills than second place on the all-time list.
Ross produced 1,461 kills during a prolific five-year career from 2013-18, which ranks well above all others who've played volleyball for the Griffins since the program's inception in 1977.
On April 11, she will become the second women's volleyball player inducted into the Griffins Wall of Distinction as part of the Class of 2026 to be honoured during the annual MacEwan Athletics banquet.
"The word cool comes to mind, but that's not impactful enough," said Ross of getting a phone call from Athletics Director Joel Mrak, informing her of the honour. "To me, that part of my life was huge and I did give so much to it. It was fun and so rewarding in so many ways than just the records.
"I still think all the time that that was one of the best sections of my life, so to get a call (that helps me) relive that and reflect on it, is really impactful. You kind of move on and people don't know where you came from and what you've done. It's nice to relive those moments and be proud of it. I feel really honoured."
She will also become the second member of her family to earn a Wall of Distinction induction after father-in-law Darren Ross – one of the best basketball players in MacEwan history (1988-91, 1992-93) – was part of the inaugural class in 2000. Kinsella met his son Tre Ross, a Griffins men's basketball player in 2017-18, while at MacEwan and the couple later married.
"I said to (Darren), 'it's kind of interesting that we're both up there now,' " she noted. "It's a small world.
"He's the most humble guy in the world, so he doesn't brag about it. But you'll hear me talk about this," she added with a laugh. "It was a really impactful time of my life, and I was really proud of it. I said to him, 'you need to be proud of it, too, because it's really cool.' "
Cassidy Ross (Kinsella) hits from the back row during the 2015-16 season (Nick Kuiper photo).
Amazingly, Cassidy Ross wasn't even planning on pursuing volleyball after high school when she was finishing Grade 12 at Leduc's Christ the King. But Pandas Volleyball Club teammate Michelle Bodnarek was joining the Griffins in 2013, and she wanted to keep playing with her best friend.
"I really wanted to play with her and extend our years together playing volleyball," she said. "So, I got in contact with Ken (Briggs, head coach at the time) and said, 'come watch me.' I think he saw my potential at the time but didn't really know what would become of it.
"When I started in training that first summer, I came out of the gate guns a blazing and I was part of the starting six right from the beginning. It wasn't long before I moved into that P1 position. The right things clicked for me at that time. I really came into my own at that moment."
Although she was a rookie, Ross led the Griffins in kills with 168, helping the team finish 17-3 in the regular season and win a bronze medal in their final campaign in the ACAC. She became just the third Griffins WVB player to win an ACAC rookie of the year honour.
"I think when I came into MacEwan and we had that first year of being in the ACAC, it was kind of a great year for me to build a lot of confidence in myself, as well as develop at the same time," she said. "I think the excitement of going into CIS (now called U SPORTS) and knowing we were going to be up against some of the best players in Canada, that always motivated me. So, at that time, I was extremely motivated to get stronger and better. I relied on my athleticism because I was one of the shorter left sides. But that has always helped me excel in sports.
"Plus, I came onto a team at the time that just really cared about each other's development. I think we all knew as a collective going into that CIS year, everyone was going, 'we've got to do the best that we can.'
"It created this really amazing environment to grow as an athlete – as an individual on the team but also feeling that everyone was growing with you."
When Cassidy Ross (Kinsella) and the Griffins kicked off their entry into Canada West in 2014-15, they swept perennial powerhouse UBC, signalling they'd be a force to be reckoned with (Chris Piggott photo).
As such, the Griffins were formidable right off the bat in their inaugural Canada West season in 2014-15. In their first two matches at the higher level (Oct. 10-11), they swept powerhouse UBC 3-2, 3-2 – a stunning weekend result that served notice that they'd arrived ahead of schedule.
"We were in a fifth set with them, and I think we really wanted to prove ourselves," said Ross. "No one was really saying it, but if we beat this team, we were right there and able to compete. We weren't just a first-year growing team; we were actually a competitive team.
"We were down 14-9 to UBC in the fifth set (in the second match of the weekend) and Jess Brown served it out and we won the game. It was just a regular season game, but I've never won a game like that where there was so much more to it than just a win.
"It felt like we were setting the tone for the season and setting the tone for our time in CIS. We did it as a team and it was a fight. It wasn't an easy game. We really fought for it and won it. It felt like a real success story."
Even though their 11-13 record in their inaugural season is the fourth-best the program has produced over 11 seasons in Canada West, the Griffins ultimately missed the playoffs as only the top seven, rather than today's top-10 format, got in back then.
Ross never got to experience post-season play, which is perhaps why opposing coaches (who vote on all-star teams) passed on her over her career, only putting her on one of them (second team in 2016-17), even though she's one of the greatest attacking players the conference has ever seen.
Cassidy Ross (Kinsella) had a 2016-17 season for the ages, finishing second in the country with 364 kills, which still ranks as the 11th most prolific season in Canada West history (Robert Antoniuk photo).
Ross' program record 364 kills in 2016-17 was second in the country and still ranks as the 11th most prolific campaign in Canada West history. That season, she became the only Griffin to average more than four kills/set with a 4.09 average.
Statistically, Ross ranks as one of the best attackers in Canada West history with 1,293 career U SPORTS kills (fourth all-time, having recently been passed by Manitoba's Raya Surinx, who now has 1,296). All-time leader Kory White of Alberta had 1,377, so it's fair to wonder If Ross would be No. 1 had she played all five of her seasons in Canada West.
Standing at just 5-foot-9, Ross was admittedly undersized for a left side, which gave her a chip on her shoulder.
"So much," she agreed. "It felt like I was a little bit proving myself every time that we played.
"In the first couple of years, it was almost me surprising teams being a shorter left side and having so much production. By the end of my years, I think teams started to expect it. But then there were new challenges because they would adjust their game, too, and I'd have to adjust mine.
"The best part about it is it was constantly challenging me to elevate my play, which as a competitive athlete, that challenge is what you look for – the opportunity to meet that challenge and rise to it."
Cassidy Ross (Kinsella) and Claire McLoughlin pose with their team awards at the 2016 MacEwan Athletics banquet. Ross is one of just three MacEwan student-athletes in the entire 52-year history of Griffins Athletics to win four-straight Most Outstanding awards for their team (File photo).
Ross was named MacEwan Female Athlete of the Year in her final season in 2017-18 when she had 338 kills, the second most ever by a Griffin. She also ended her career as one of only three Griffins student-athletes to ever receive their team's Most Outstanding Player award in four-straight seasons (2014-18).
It wasn't just her offensive production that made her great. Ross is also the program record holder for career digs (1,079), career points (1,477.5) and is fourth all-time in blocks by a Griffin (181), even though she didn't play middle.
"The Trinity Western coach at the time (Ryan Hofer, who is still with the Spartans) actually said I was one of the best defensive players," she recalled after regularly receiving praise from opposing Canada West coaches. "It had always been my kills and attacks that were always brought up, but that really stuck with me. He sees my potential like so many others do and I need to see it, too."
That helped fuel the belief that she needed to set so many program records, including most kills in a game (25 three times) – a mark matched by Mariah Bereziuk in 2024.
"I think what I learned very early on in my career is through my mindset of using the team as my resource, supporting me to become better, and learning that my potential was endless if I was willing to work for it – that only grew throughout the years," she said. "So, it got to a point where I didn't really feel there was a limit to what I could do.
"When I was younger I had that, where I didn't really understand my potential. I think that the team helped me discover that early on. They gave me a lot of confidence, and my coaches gave me a lot of confidence, so I started to build that confidence in myself. By the time I got to my fourth and fifth years, I was feeling like I just wanted to see how much more I could do, what could come out of it."
While she is well known for her huge attacking numbers, Cassidy Ross (Kinsella) was equally lauded for her passing and defence. She is also the Griffins' career leader in digs (Chris Piggott photo).
She had some people reaching out to see if she'd like to play pro after graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree from MacEwan following her 2017-18 season.
She didn't take them up on it.
"When my last game was played and the season was over and I had that time to reflect, it was, 'I've been this so long, this was my entire identity,' " she said. "I would never go back, but when your whole identity is being an athlete, it's kind of a shock when you come out of it.
"I think for me, I was kind of like 'this feels like an OK moment to give that some space and to see who I am outside of being this volleyball athlete.' "
She gave coaching a try, returning as an assistant with Griffins women's volleyball in 2018-19, but ultimately decided to move on with her life after one season. She is now a speech language pathologist that's currently on maternity leave with the couple's first child.
"Transitioning to the coaching role was so different," she said. "I enjoyed it, but I felt I still needed to give myself some space from that world.
"Now I look back and I'm like 'oh, I should have kept going.' I miss it still to this day so much. I would relive every moment."
All of the celebrations, kills and moments with her teammates all add up to an experience with the Griffins that Cassidy Ross (Kinsella) will always cherish (Chris Piggott photo).
