EDMONTON – With one of the largest crowds ever in the David Atkinson Gym, the MacEwan Griffins women's volleyball team went through a key learning curve against one of the top teams in Canada West on Friday night.

With nearly 700 fans in attendance, cheering for both sides of the Edmonton rivalry, the Alberta Pandas won 3-0 (25-11, 25-17, 25-16).

Alberta was led by Julia Zonneveld, who had nine kills, while Erin Corbett chipped in eight and three service aces, part of a wicked Alberta serving attack that caused the Griffins problems.

Twelve different Griffins saw action in the match, eight of them for the first time in their Canada West careers. Rookie Erica Bolink led the Griffins with eight kills, while second-year Mariah Bereziuk had seven. Jordyn Thomas led the team with 11 digs. 

The teams will meet again on Saturday (2 p.m., David Atkinson Gym, Canada West TV presented by Co-op).