CALGARY – The University of Calgary Dinos overcame a slow start and a very good Trinity Western team to take the first match of the 23rd Annual Husky Dino Cup 3-1 (20-25, 25-21, 25-20, 25-18) Thursday night in the Jack Simpson Gym.

BOX SCORE

Thanks to big performances from Graham Vigrass and Curtis James, who pounded 14 and 13 kills, respectively, the Dinos improved their pre-season record to 6-2 and got a key opening-night victory at the tournament, with two matches upcoming Friday against the NCAA teams in attendance, Pacific and UCLA.

“This was a great way for us to start the Dino Cup against a very good team,” said fourth-year Calgary head coach Rod Durrant. “We got solid performances from Graham and Curtis, and we were also able to demonstrate our depth tonight with guys able to come in off the bench and contribute. We've been working a lot on sustaining a high level of play, and we were able to do that tonight in the last three sets.”

It was the Spartans that came out firing to open this one, setting a blistering pace with nearly a 42 per cent attack average in the first set, a 25-20 Trinity Western victory. Not much separated the two sides in the opener, with a 4-0 mini-run by the Spartans midway through the frame proving to be the difference.

Sets two and three each saw Calgary jump out to the lead at the first technical break and maintain that advantage through to the end. In the fourth, however, the Spartans took the early lead after scoring five straight points to go up 6-2. Calgary slowly began to chip away at the lead, scoring two points for every single scored by the Spartans, and a kill from senior Pierre Rocque sealed the win for the Dinos.

Despite being out-blocked by a 9.5-6.5 margin, the Dinos still managed to hit better than 30 per cent on the night on 54 kills. The service game was a key difference for the Dinos as well, with 10 aces to their credit against half that total for Trinity Western.

Steven Marshall led the way for Trinity Western in a losing cause with 12 kills, with Josh Doornenbal contributing 10 and Mikiah Schalk adding 9. Marshall was also the defensive leader with nine digs, with four of his teammates contributing five apiece.

For the Dinos, Vigrass' 14 kills from the right side capped a solid night for the third-year Calgary native which saw him add seven digs and a pair each of aces and blocks. James put up 13 kills despite appearing in just three of the four sets, while Oleg Podporin and Chris Hoag added seven kills each. Hoag's eight digs paced Calgary defensively.

The two sides get right back to it on a busy Friday in the Jack Simpson Gym with five matches on the agenda. Trinity Western gets it all started at 11 a.m. when they face the UCLA Bruins, followed at 1 p.m. by the Dinos taking on the Pacific Tigers. The Canadian teams switch American opponents for the evening matches, with a women's tilt between the Dinos and Brandon Bobcats sandwiched in between at 3 p.m.

Tournament play wraps up Saturday, with the gold medal match set for 7 p.m.

2009 HUSKY DINO CUP
SCHEDULE & RESULTS
Thursday, October 15
6 p.m. Women: UBC 3 Calgary 0 (25-15, 25-16, 25-15)
8 p.m. Men: Calgary 3 Trinity Western 1 (20-25, 25-21, 25-20, 25-18)

Friday, October 16
11 a.m. Men: UCLA vs. Trinity Western
1 p.m. Men: CALGARY vs. Pacific
3 p.m. Women: CALGARY vs. Brandon
5:30 p.m. Men: Trinity Western vs. Pacific
7 p.m. Men: CALGARY  vs. UCLA

Saturday, October 17
11 am Men: Pacific vs. UCLA
3 p.m. Men: Bronze Medal Match
5 p.m. Women: CALGARY vs. Brandon
7 p.m. Men: Gold Medal Match

STANDINGS (Men only)
1. Calgary (1-0)
2. Pacific (0-0)
2. UCLA (0-0)
4. Trinity Western (0-1)

-UC-