Daunting task for Griffins against Bears
Men’s and women’s volleyball teams from school rivals clash at Saville Centre
Now would be the perfect time to cue the music for a montage on Brad Poplawski’s daily coaching gig.
With a head-to-head this weekend against the perennial powerhouse University of Alberta Golden Bears, his MacEwan University Griffins men’s volleyball team is going to need inspiration from the likes of an underdog action movie from the ’70s, if not actually witnessing their head coach running stairs in a long-sleeve sweatshirt and punching his way through a frozen meat locker.
Truth be told, an extended montage of sorts has been playing out in his head since he was brought in at the same time the Griffins were making the jump from the collegiate level to the U- Sports domain, where the Canada West Conference has no shortage of nationalchampionship contenders.
Only, he didn’t even have to look past his own city to find what’s been an insurmountable challenge, so far, having gone 0-8 against the Bears since 2014, with a set score of 2-24, neither win of which has come at the Saville Community Sports Centre.
“The easiest way to say it is, they ’re the Bears,” said Poplawski, whose Griffins carry a 2-4 record into the Saville on Friday (6 p.m.) against a U of A squad that has lost once this season. “Not just in Edmonton, but I think nationwide, especially in men’s volleyball, everyone knows who they are. They have the history of excellence and the legacy that Terry (Danyluk) has built there.
“And, to be honest, I know it well. I spent five years with the Bears.”
That’s more time spent with this weekend’s opponent than his own program has existed on the U-Sports scene.
“This is our fifth year, so even kids in our program kind of grew up watching the Bears,” Poplawski said, adding the recruiting challenges are self-explanatory. “That name carries a lot of weight. It is something we have to battle with.
“It is different here, we’re trying to forge a new path. Every weekend, we’re playing a team that’s probably in the top-10, top-12 national rankings. It is a struggle, but that’s the athletes we’re trying to get that are excited by that.
“We’ve been more competitive. We’ve got to a point where teams just can’t throw their sticks in the middle against us and play. I think they do have to prepare. It’s a slow process though and sometimes I know it’s frustrating for the athletes, but I do try, as the coach, to have that long vision.”
After all, he’s learned from some of the best, having recently spent two weeks getting mentored by national coaches from Poland and Australia, as well as Danyluk, himself.
“He was my mentor coach when I did my masters so I owe a lot to that man,” Poplawski said. “He opened a lot of doors for me in my career, for sure.”
Just don’t expect the welcome mat to be rolled out this weekend.
“I love Pops, his dad was a Golden Bears hockey player and Brad was a big part of our team through many of our championships as a player on the bench and then as an assistant coach,” Danyluk said. “He did his masters program under us at the U of A. It’s one of those things where he feels like he belongs here, at the same time, we know we’ve got to compete against him when push comes to shove.”
The Griffins women’s team is the only one coming into the Saville this weekend on a winning streak, having swept the University of Saskatchewan Huskies, while the Pandas saw an undefeated start to the season end by losing two games to Trinity Western University.
Both sides are 4-2 as their games get underway Friday (7:30 p.m.), but if the Griffins want to keep their win streak alive, they’ll have to halt their own 0-8 run against Alberta.
“You go in with your eyes wide open,” said Griffins women’s head coach Ken Briggs, whose team paired with the Pandas to take a bus trip to Kamloops for a preseason tournament in the fall. “They’re always one of the better programs. (Pandas head coach) Laurie Eisler, she’s a legend in her own time and she’s very driven and has a great track record.”
One that will hit a milestone this weekend when the veteran head coach of 27 years surpasses legendary Golden Bears hockey and football head coach Clare Drake for the most overall games coached in school history.
Of course, the Pandas aren’t looking increase their gamesplayed against MacEwan. They’re looking to get back in the win column.
“They ’re very familiar to us,” said Eisler, who has amassed a record of 772-284 for an impressive .731 win percentage. “A lot of their players on their team actually played in our club, so a lot of them are former teammates either on club teams or high school teams or provincial teams.
“They’re going to bring their best and they’re very comfortable in our gym.”