Jefferson Hagen
MacEwan Athletics
CALGARY – As impressive a debut as anyone has had in a Griffins uniform, German outside hitter Fabian Breitenbach shattered the program record for the most efficient game a MacEwan rookie has ever had in Canada West play on Friday.
He led the team with 16 kills on a sizzling .619 hitting percentage, eclipsing the old mark of .500, set by Carsten Bergeron in 2022.
The shine of his performance can’t be dulled, even though the Griffins fell 3-1 to the Calgary Dinos in their season opener (25-14, 25-18, 22-25, 25-21).
“I thought he was very good,” said Griffins head coach Brad Poplawski. “He played very well for his first U SPORTS game. I like that he found a lot of different ways to score. His last kill was on a great tip over the block. He’s a very smart attacker.
“He has great experience from Germany, but you don’t always know what that’s going to be like in your first game. It was a really good first step for him. I really think we can keep building and growing with him from here. That’s very cool he accomplished that feat.”
Brendon Lord chipped in 11 kills on a .310 hitting percentage, while Spencer Loucks led the way at the net with six blocks.
Ultimately, the Griffins likely lost the contest due a slow start after not having any preseason games, and their serving performance with a whopping 27 total missed serves over four sets.
“We didn’t have a preseason,” said Poplawski of not one Canada West opponent finding a spot in their schedule for them. “I apologized to my guys. We talked about it in the first meeting of the year: this is the reality, it sucks, but it is what it is. So, that’s on me as a coach.
“Obviously, circumstances were what they were and we didn’t get a chance to compete. I felt bad for my guys. I think we did everything we could do in training, but it is a different feel when it’s a real match. I thought we looked a little nervous and tentative in the first couple sets, which is 100 per cent to be expected.”
The positive is the Griffins really turned things around later in the match, winning their first set of the year off a massive block from their captain Seth Birkholz.
“I thought guys responded really well and started to play the way I know they can and what they’ve shown in training,” said Poplawski. “I think nerves are good because it shows you care, it’s how you use those nerves. We want to channel that positively and not get scared of the moment.”
A tough injury to starting libero Austin Westermeier-Ly led to rookie Solomon Flindall entering the match. He finished with four digs.
“I thought he showed some really good stuff at times,” said Poplawski. “I said, ‘hey, this is adversity. It’s not how we planned for you to get your first experience.’ I think he showed a lot of stuff. When things were challenging, he really responded well.
“Again, awful circumstances for why he got in, but I see a guy who has such big potential in this league. It was exciting for him to get an opportunity, but I feel bad for Austin.”
The Griffins will meet the Dinos again on Saturday (6 p.m., Canada West TV).
“One of our goals this season is to be aggressive serving,” said Poplawski. “But today I didn’t think we were smart aggressive. We were aggressive to be aggressive. I think we missed 27 serves. I’d like us to clean that up for tomorrow because that’s something we have full control over.”