Jefferson Hagen
MacEwan Athletics
EDMONTON – When looking for a leader who would drive the culture change the program needs, head coach Brad Poplawski knew he had the right man in Seth Birkholz.
Named team captain for this, his fourth Canada West season, the towering 6-foot-7 middle blocker will lead MacEwan into its home-opening weekend vs. Thompson Rivers on Friday (6:30 p.m.) and Saturday (4:30 p.m., both David Atkinson Gym, Canada West TV)
“Unbelievable leader,” said Poplawski of Birkholz. “He’s an unbelievable young man that every father or mother would want their son to be like. He checks all the boxes. He’s been mature beyond his years throughout his time in this program, but now he’s really stepped into a leadership role, and he just looks very comfortable with it. When he says stuff, it carries a lot of weight because the guys really respect him.”
And he does have things to say that matter for a program that’s trying to earn a Canada West playoff spot for the first time.
“It’s awesome having so many guys come in who are going to instantly buy in,” he said of the temperature of the team this season. “And all the people returning are just fully bought into that and pushing for that culture. It’s great to see.
“Even in the first weekend, we didn’t get the result we wanted, but we saw we aren’t a team that’s going to back down or give up when it gets a little hard. It was awesome to see us push through.
“Off the court, too, our work ethic in the weight room and studying, it’s really encouraging to see so many guys pull together and support Pops, and want to win with this program.”
Birkholz said he’s trying to model his leadership after past Griffins captains, most notably libero Daniel Hebert, who graduated from the program in 2024.
“There are so many things I look back at that he did – how he was so encouraging and there for guys when they needed it,” he said. “So, I think just taking what he did and what other guys have done in the past – learn from them and try and do as good as you can.
“Dan was the one of the best captains you could have – just how supportive he was. It’s cool to be able to be in that same boat as those guys. I’ve just got to represent MacEwan that way.”
Added Poplawski: “Seth’s someone that doesn’t always say a lot, but leads by example. When he does talk, it carries a lot of weight. He models the behaviour. And when we talk about student-athlete, he is a student-athlete. He exemplifies everything I think a Griffins should be. He’s extremely hard-working in the classroom, he’s a great young man. He’s a very mature trust-him-with-everything type of guy. He’s hard working in the gym, and hard working in every area of his life.”
There’s no doubt things are looking up for the Griffins, who showed they can compete with the Dinos, losing 3-1 on opening night before dropping two marathon sets in a 3-0 loss Saturday that was much closer than the scoreline indicates.
“We’re right there,” said Birkholz. “We’ve been doing all the stuff we’ve asked of ourselves. At the beginning of the year when we set out what we wanted to do, we’ve been doing a lot of that stuff – the nutrition, the sleep, the recovery. Now it’s just kind of honing in as a team.
“I think a big thing from last weekend is making our serves. But I have strong confidence in this group that we’re going to go in and play really well this weekend, and continue building on. I think we talk a lot about trusting the guy next to you, so that’s important.”
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