Jefferson Hagen
MacEwan Athletics
WINNIPEG – When she was being recruited, Payton Shimoda was told she could join the Griffins as the third setter, if she wanted, but there really wasn't a guaranteed path to playing time behind two others ahead of her on the depth chart.
That plan lasted all of five games.
On the promise that she could compete for playing time, the undersized 5-foot-8 product of Harry Ainlay high school was starting by November of her rookie season in 2021-22 and has never looked back.
On Friday, she was being asked how she went from that to reaching 2,000 career kills and becoming the program's career Canada West assists leader all in the same night of a 3-1 loss to the Manitoba Bisons.
"(Getting 2,000 kills) wasn't at all anything that I expected from the beginning," said Shimoda.
"I just have had lots of opportunity just growing with a young team and figuring out the ropes alongside these girls that are older now," she added. "I think (it was) a lot of hard work, also, but some great teammates."
2000!!!
— GriffinsWVB (@GriffinsWVB) February 8, 2025
Payton Shimoda becomes just the second @MacEwanGriffins WVB player to reach 2,000 @CanadaWest assists on her 15th helper of the match at @umbisons - a kill for Alyshia Bryks!#GriffNation pic.twitter.com/sO9DrGznuA
Shimoda reached 2,000 in Set 2 when Alyshia Bryks put away a kill to give MacEwan a 17-13 lead in the only set they'd win in a 25-20, 22-25, 25-12, 25-16 result.
Then, in Set 4, she passed Claire McLoughlin's program career record of 2,010 (set from 2015-18) with her 2,011th assist on Anika Buys' kill in the middle.
NEW PROGRAM RECORD!
— GriffinsWVB (@GriffinsWVB) February 8, 2025
On this kill by Anika Buys in the fourth set, Payton Shimoda breaks the @MacEwanGriffins @GriffinsWVB program record for the most career assists by a Griffin in @CanadaWest competition. She surpasses Claire McLoughlin's mark of 2,010, set between 2015-18! pic.twitter.com/87Ez0n4ohf
"Chris (Wandler) said something in the team room after, which was really nice," said Shimoda. "It was great to celebrate with my team. It's kind of a cool record to hold because assists means every (assist) I got, someone else got a kill. It's not like I did it on my own, by any means.
"It was kind of cool to be recognized. It's been a very long fulfilling journey."
Shimoda said she was quite young when McLoughlin put up her numbers, but she saw her play a little bit. Earlier this season, she passed Kylie Schubert – a good friend of hers – who had 1,614 assists from 2016-21, for second on the career record list.
Passing 2,000 is a major step, and Shimoda has a chance for more. Not only is the season not over yet, she has a year of eligibility remaining for 2025-26. She nows sits at 2,013 after the contest.
"It goes to show the hard work over the last four years that she's put in," said head coach Wandler. "Starting in her first year helps out. That just shows how much work she put in prior to that. And she's just relentless.
"She's a leader, a captain and one of the hardest workers on the team. Girls love playing with her. That's pretty awesome for her – quite the accomplishment."
Although they lost the match, the Griffins showed up with a strong effort against a Manitoba Bisons team that's a national championship contender.
"We played quite well," said Wandler. "Really good on the serving and the defensive end of things. We executed our game plan. There were times we needed to put the ball away in certain moments and we just couldn't do it and it slipped right through our fingers in that fourth set.
"The coaches are really proud of the effort everybody put in. We could only be the best versions of ourselves today and that's what we asked them to do. They did it."
This block in the fourth set gave Anika Buys eight of them on Friday at @umbisons, which tied the program record for the most by a @GriffinsWVB rookie in a @CanadaWest match, originally set by Mckenna Stevenson in 2016!#GriffNation pic.twitter.com/1kW8Jh7vC4
— GriffinsWVB (@GriffinsWVB) February 8, 2025
Besides Shimoda, who had 28 assists and 17 digs for the Griffins, Buys matched the program record for the most blocks by a rookie, finishing with eight to tie the mark that Mckenna Stevenson set in a 2016 game against Saskatchewan.
Both Arden Butler and Bryks had 11 kills to pace the Griffins.
MacEwan will face Manitoba again on Saturday (3 p.m. MT, Canada West TV) with renewed confidence in their abilities to push top teams.
"They're the third-ranked team in Canada," said Wandler. "I think it just reinforces the fact that we're doing good things and I think it reinforces the fact that you have to be good every rally, and in every situation.
"Your mind always has to be on while just trusting your training. There's lots to be learned from these types of games."
