Athlete - Volleyball
Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2017
A competitive gymnast in her early years of sport, Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia native Lori-Beth MacEwen (’04) made the transition to volleyball in part due to a desire to play school team sports.
MacEwen started her road to a successful volleyball career in Grade 7 at Astral Drive Junior High School and later joined the Dartmouth Lakers volleyball club. Her shift in focus toward volleyball was completed in 1999 when MacEwen made the Nova Scotia Canada Games team.
Her storied career at Acadia began in the fall of 2000. Named as an AUS all-star four of her five years as a member of the Axewomen volleyball team, MacEwen is one of the most decorated volleyball players in the history of the Axewomen program.
An outside hitter by trade, MacEwen possessed one of the hardest hitting swings of her era and by today’s standard. She was named AUS Rookie of the Year in 2001 and followed with four consecutive AUS first team all-star selections. In 2003-04 MacEwen was honoured as AUS volleyball’s Most Valuable Player in a season that ended with a loss in the AUS championship game.
In the AUS championship tournament of 2004, MacEwen was named a tournament all-star for her heroic effort. Recording 27 kills and an amazing 0.404 hitting percentage, MacEwen’s Axewomen advanced to the finals following a 3-1 win over the Cape Breton Capers. In a 3-1 loss versus Saint Mary’s in the gold medal game, MacEwen had a match-high 31 kills – doubling the next closest person. Her season would be capped off as a CIAU All-Canadian second team member.
Leading by example, MacEwen was a consummate team player. A very good all-around athlete, she continuously improved her game and was a smooth player who made things look easy.
Off the court, MacEwen excelled academically and in the community. Following the 2002-03 regular season, MacEwen was awarded the AUAA Community Service Award and honoured as the CIAU Therese Quigley Award winner that same season and in 2003-04.
“Lori-Beth was the type of person that embodied what Acadia was all about: kind, caring, yet a very competitive and hard-working student-athlete. This is the reason why she won two consecutive CIAU Therese Quigley Community Service Awards,” noted former Axewomen volleyball head coach Joffre Ribout.
Trained as a teacher, MacEwen now leads the Holland College Hurricanes women’s volleyball team as a head coach, passing along wisdom acquired at Acadia during her five successful years as an Axewoman. We are pleased to welcome, in the Player category, Lori-Beth MacEwen to the Acadia Sports Hall of Fame.