CALGARY - Just a handful of years ago, a two-game series in Brandon against the Bobcats would have caused very little concern for the Calgary Dinos volleyball teams – but things have changed, and this weekend's match-ups with the Bobcats will go a long way to determining the Dinos' playoff fate.
Let's begin with the Dinos women, who opened 2009 ranked No. 7 in the nation and over the past two weeks have made a meteoric rise to No. 2 after sweeping defending champ UBC at home and following that with a dominant performance last week at Winnipeg. Now 11-3, the Dinos sit second in the conference with two games in hand over first place Alberta, who they trail by just two points.
The sweep at Winnipeg was expected, but still crucial, especially considering Alberta dropped to matches at home to Trinity Western. This significantly upset the playoff picture in Canada West, and it all points to the Dinos' advantage. With two matches in hand over the Pandas and two home weekends to end the season, Calgary has a chance to leapfrog them into first place, which comes with a coveted bye week and hosting rights for the Canada West Final Four, from which three teams will advance to the CIS Championship.
Much is on the line, then, as the Dinos visit the Bobcats, who have enjoyed a breakout season in Canada West. Ranked as high as No. 3 in the nation as recently as last week, Brandon is squarely in a playoff position at 10-4 (No. 6 in the CIS poll) and would love to play spoiler for the Dinos this weekend. Brandon did defeat Calgary in non-conference play in Florida last month, but the Dinos' starting lineup played sparingly as the two teams took different approaches to the game. This time it's for real, and the Dinos are playing their best ball of the season.
Calgary held the Wesmen to just a 5.6 per cent hitting efficiency last weekend in the two-match sweep. Holly Harper broke the 200-kill plateau on the season, and setter Sarah Lacny led an impressive offensive performance for the Dinos.
The Calgary women finish the year with two straight weeks at home, with Thompson Rivers and Simon Fraser on the schedule. If the Dinos win out, they host the conference championship Feb. 20-21.
The Dinos men, meanwhile, are on a remarkable roll heading into the playoffs. Undefeated at home, Calgary heads to Brandon coming off back-to-back sweeps of UBC (No. 10) and Winnipeg (No. 7), and they head east to face the ninth-ranked Bobcats this weekend.
With just four matches to play, the Dinos are on the verge of clinching home-court advantage for the first time since 2002 as they take on the 6-6 Bobcats. A sweep for Calgary would virtually assure a top-four finish and a home playoff date heading into next week's season-ending series at home against Thompson Rivers.
The Dinos and Bobcats have met twice in non-conference play this season, with each team taking a 3-1 victory. Their most recent meeting came at the Husky Dino Cup in October, a 3-1 Calgary win in the Jack.
Brandon's Paul Sanderson is the kills leader in the conference, averaging just over five per set, with Calgary's Omar Langford sitting in fourth place. As Sanderson goes, so go the Bobcats this season – with one exception (at No. 1 Alberta), when Sanderson hits better than 20 per cent, Brandon wins; when he does not, they lose.
The Bobcats enter the weekend on a three-game losing skid, dropping the back end of a home-and-home with Winnipeg before being swept at the hands of the Thompson Rivers WolfPack last week in Kamloops.
The Dinos host Thompson Rivers next week to close the 2008-09 regular season.
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