Peninsula female athlete of the year: Maeve Griffin leaves legacy of excellence on volleyball court
If one thing could point to Maeve Griffin’s impact on the Peninsula volleyball team, it was her presence.
“We could tell the difference from when Maeve was in the gym or not,” said coach Katrina Cardinal. “Her teammates relied on her direction, and as coaches we relied on her leadership. … She consistently brings a positive but level energy to the gym, expecting the best from her teammates and herself.”
And after securing another first-team roster spot in the Class 3A South Sound Conference in her senior season — and committing to play volleyball for the University of Washington — Griffin is The Peninsula Gateway’s 2020 female Athlete of the Year.
“I’m super grateful for the opportunity,” Griffin said. “It’s pretty rewarding to feel like a lot of my hard work has paid off, in a sense, but it definitely motivates me to keep working and keep putting in the hours of practice.”
Griffin received co-MVP honors of the SSC during her junior volleyball season, and came up just one vote short at the league meeting from repeating as a senior. Her final season featured a different honor, though: playing alongside her sister.
Langley Griffin — Maeve’s sister and a Peninsula freshman — made the most of her first high school season, and only season with her sister on the court with her. Aside from her accolades, her college commitment, and postseason road trips, Maeve’s most cherished moment was sharing the court with a fellow Griffin.
“My sister and I are super close,” Maeve said of Langley, who earned a spot on the SSC’s second team during her freshman season. “We push each other to be the best version of ourselves, both as athletes and teammates, and just people overall. It was definitely a memory I’ll hold forever, getting to play with her. We get to play beach volleyball together sometimes too, which is super fun. Getting to play with her was the highlight of my season.”
Griffin hoped to experience one more athletic season with her sister on Peninsula’s Track and Field team, but a stay-home order and statewide school closures crushed any chance for a return of spring athletics.
During her freshman, sophomore, and senior year — aside from a brief stint on the tennis team as a junior — Griffin competed in the pole vault, the 400-meter dash, and the 100 and 300-meter hurdles.
“It’s definitely challenging, but we’re getting lots of time together during quarantine as well, so that’s a positive,” Griffin said, in reference to missing out on her last athletic season with her sister. “I think next year, she’s really going to flourish and keep growing as an athlete, and I can’t wait to see what she accomplishes next year.”
Now, Griffin looks forward to her collegiate career, after committing to the University of Washington in March for indoor and beach volleyball.
Griffin was known at Peninsula as a team leader with offensive and defensive versatility. Her vertical and speed contributed to a fast arm swing and her ability to be quick on the block, which her coach summarized as “your first team pick.”
But what the University of Washington saw in Griffin went beyond her skills on the court.
“[Maeve] is intelligent, kind, thoughtful, and good-natured, but she is also relentless,” Cardinal said. “She consistently brings a positive but level energy to the gym, expecting the best from her teammates and herself.”
Griffin also locked up Peninsula High School’s student-athlete of the year award, which emphasizes academic and multi-sport success.
“We really want to recognize people who really demonstrate the Seahawk spirit,” said Peninsula Athletic Director Ross Filkins, regarding the student-athlete of the year selection process. “They make their teammates better. They make their programs stronger.
“[Maeve’s] just a great teammate and makes everyone else around her better. … That’s what separated her in the eyes of the University of Washington volleyball program. They just saw somebody who would make the team better, and make everyone else around her better.”
Griffin follows her family’s legacy to the University of Washington, where her mother was a gymnast and her father competed on the Husky Track and Field team.
“I cannot be more excited to play for the University of Washington,” Griffin said. “I’m looking forward to getting to play with all of those incredible athletes and getting to play for the remarkable coaches. And most of all, getting to be a Husky, and getting to wear the purple and gold on my back.”
Griffin’s departure from Peninsula is bittersweet for her volleyball coach.
“I am really going to miss this kid,” Cardinal said. “From the quick, I-know-what-you’re-thinking looks, to the spectacular defensive plays, leaping over teammates to play the ball, Maeve herself is (my) favorite memory.”
This story was originally published May 6, 2020 at 5:22 AM.