Thrown into the fire as a rookie after an injury, Flindall showing his chops at libero for the Griffins

Jefferson Hagen
MacEwan Athletics

EDMONTON – Coming from a family of basketball players, Solomon Flindall naturally gravitated towards … volleyball?!

“A little bit of a black sheep,” chuckled the Griffins libero.

His parents both played basketball – his dad at the university level in Ontario – and his older sister Maya needs no introduction as a key player on the defending U SPORTS women’s basketball national champion Saskatchewan Huskies.

“I played basketball growing up, but I just fell in love with volleyball,” said Flindall. “Basketball was lots of running for me and lots of physicality that I sometimes didn’t enjoy the most. But I just wanted to do something different.”

That’s led him to where he is now, starting at libero for the Griffins in his rookie Canada West season.

He’ll lead MacEwan into weekend action vs. Manitoba (Friday, 6:30 p.m. and Saturday, 4:30 p.m., both David Atkinson Gym, Canada West TV).

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Friday is NAVC night as members of the local volleyball club will be on hand and scholarships will be presented to two Griffins student-athletes.

Flindall credits the club with his development and was once one of those kids in the stands watching the Griffins play.

“So, it’s a pretty full circle moment to be able to play during Griffins Day,” he said.

“I owe them so much. I was really lucky to be able to get on the team in Grade 9. That was kind of the first year that I played volleyball and when I fell in love with it. Just had the super cool chance to be able to play on a really good team with some great coaches. Then just got to play with them for the next four years, which is awesome.”

Solomon Flindall is a proud NAVC product, who was once in the stands watching the Griffins on NAVC night. Now, he’s playing in the game (Husain Dhooma photo).

When he arrived at MacEwan in August, he was a backup libero to veteran Austin Ly, but was quickly thrust into the starting position when Ly unfortunately suffered an injury in the Griffins’ opening match against Calgary.

“Yeah, 15 points into our season, he went from a learning opportunity to ‘you’re the guy!’ It’s obviously not how any of us drew it up,” said Griffins head coach Brad Poplawski. “He would say he has a lot to learn, but he’s never played like a first-year guy – just his mental (attitude). He’s composed beyond his years, very mature, and you can’t tell if he’s having a good or bad game, which is awesome. As a libero, you’re captain of defence, captain of serve-receive. If you’re freaking out, the people around you are. I just think his maturity level (is on display). 

“There are highs and lows. Even during the low periods, I haven’t felt that he’s letting it affect his confidence or letting it affect his consistency. It’s really rare as a first year, which is really cool to see.”

As a result of playing so much in his first season, Flindall is tracking towards a program record, entering the weekend with 270 receptions, just 48 behind the mark Jefferson Morrow set in 2019-20.

“He has some of the best footwork I’ve ever seen as a passer,” said Poplawski. “I don’t say that lightly. His footwork is amazing. Hat tip to his club coaches who obviously helped him learn that. He moves really well, has a great platform and does a lot of things you want as a libero. 

“But at this level, it’s so much more than passing or defence. It’s how do you make the players around you better? So, I think there’s a lot of that stuff he’s still learning. But just the volleyball piece is really impressive with his skill-set. But even more impressive is how mature he is.”

Solomon Flindall hits the floor for a spectacular dig against Saskatchewan in November. His older sister Maya plays for the Saskatchewan Huskies women’s basketball team (Husain Dhooma photo).

Perhaps that’s the inherent natural athlete within him, coming from his St. Albert-based family that’s been involved in high-level sport for a lifetime. He certainly looks up to his sister Maya, who is third on the Huskies in scoring – averaging 15.5 points/game in this, her fourth year of eligibility. 

“We grew up basically inseparable,” said Solomon, two years younger than his sister, who inspires him an athlete.

“Just her commitment and work ethic. She’s one of the hardest workers I know – just getting in the gym and improving. She also just loves her sport, so seeing that flow through her competitiveness and seeing her compete has been super cool.”

He’s now had to learn his sport at the Canada West level on the fly, getting thrown into the fire against Calgary Oct. 17, and improving greatly since then. The serves coming at him are at least 15 km/hr faster than he faced in club, so it was an adjustment.

“My first game against Calgary was definitely a bit of a shock and something I wasn’t ready for, but I just think that I’ve kind of become more comfortable and acclimated to receiving them,” he said. “That’s a testament to my teammates with the serves that I see in practice. They just get me ready for the weekends, so just getting comfortable through that.”

Flindall has four more years to reach his full potential in Canada West.

“I think he’s still just scratching the surface with his skill set,” said Poplawski. “Kind of a weird situation that he ends up starting all year, but I think this is going to bode well for him. It’s been really fun to watch him develop.”