CALGARY – Nine straight years, nine straight appearances for the University of Calgary Dinos at the CIS Women's Volleyball Championship – but this one just about didn't happen.
But for a five-set victory over the No. 2 team in the country, the host of the Canada West Final Four, and the Dinos' archrivals, the Alberta Pandas, in a one-match winner-take-all showdown, the Dinos would be in unfamiliar territory, watching it all unfold from afar. But a clutch win on the road it was, and the Dinos head to Fredericton in search of national glory.
Championship web site: www.cisport.ca/e/championships/w_volleyball/2009
The odds might be stacked in their favour – just a short year ago, the UBC Thunderbirds were in the same position, having to defeat the conference Final Four host to advance to nationals. The 'Birds bested Manitoba to win conference bronze, then promptly upgraded it to national gold with the school's first national title in three decades. And the similarities don't end there – Jesse Knight was an assistant coach with the T-Birds in 2008, and he's the head man with the Dinos in 2009.
After a 3-0 loss to the Thunderbirds in the conference semi-final, however, the Dinos were in tough against the Pandas on their home court in Saturday's bronze tilt.
“It was a pretty trying week,” Knight admitted Monday as his team prepared for the cross-continental journey to New Brunswick. “We had some injury troubles early, and we obviously didn't play our best against UBC.
“We could have easily folded our tents in a tough game against Alberta, but we showed we really wanted to be there, and that's what got us in.”
With fourth-year transfer Laura Littlejohn out for the year with a sprained right ankle, the Dinos turned to freshman middle Ali Sandholm to take on a starter's role. After struggling in the semi-final, Sandholm stepped up in the bronze medal match with 12 big kills, sending the Dinos all the way back to Fredericton.
None of that matters anymore, of course, as the brand new season kicks off at the Aitken University Centre on the campus of the University of New Brunswick. Seeded fourth in the eight-team tournament, the Dinos have drawn the Ontario champion in the quarterfinal for the second straight season and will take on the York Lions for a chance to advance to the medal round.
“I know that they have two big power hitters, but that's really about it,” said Knight of his first-round competition. “They're a conference champion, they've put together a nearly undefeated season, so it's going to be a challenge for sure. They've been good and steady all year, so it'll definitely be a tough match. And I think that's good for us – if it was just a walk-over we might not bring it, but because it's a good team I think we will bring it.
“The thing I learned with UBC last year was that it has really become about who wants it more, and we are a very motivated group of athletes,” he went on. “When you lose a player it sometimes stalls momentum a little, but I think now we're starting to gain momentum with a new group of starters and the potential of this new group is exciting.”
All-time at CIS championships, the Dinos are 2-2 against York, but the teams have not met since the Yeowomen were reincarnated as the Lions. Their last meeting came at the 1995 championship in Edmonton, where the Torontonians took a 3-0 victory in the consolation semi-final
A victory over York would put the Dinos in a likely semi-final match-up with the Montreal Carabins, who have been ranked No. 1 in CIS wire-to-wire this season. It was Montreal that knocked the Dinos out of the championship in 2008 with a 3-1 semi-final win, forcing Calgary into yet another bronze medal match – which they won over their provincial archrivals. It was the Dinos' fourth straight CIS bronze medal, and breaking the semi-final funk is high on the priority list for the 2009 tournament should Calgary be fortunate enough to advance on the championship side of the bracket.
“Putting my Calgary hat on now, there's definitely an element of payback there,” said Knight. “Montreal knocked the Dinos out of the semi-final so if we get through York there will be a nice little semi-final match-up for sure.”
The other semi-finals pit top-seeded Montreal against host UNB while UBC plays Moncton and Trinity Western takes on Laval.
The trophy cases of three Calgary fifth-year seniors are lined with bronze medals – four of them. The trio of Holly Harper, Lauren Perry, and Julie Young began their careers with the Dinos in the 2004-05 season, when Calgary was the defending national champion and went a perfect 25-0 heading into the CIS semi-final against UBC. The upset loss set the stage for the four straight third place performances and, while they have all had stellar careers, the national final has eluded them all four seasons.
Harper was named the Canada West player of the year in 2009 after pacing the Dinos' new high-speed offence, more than doubling her previous career high with 295 kills as the Dinos went 16-4 in Canada West play to finish in a first-place tie with Alberta. Perry was a second team all-star in Canada West for the second time in her career, while Young is a returning second team All-Canadian and plays the libero spot for the Canadian senior national team. There's all kinds of experience in that troika, and all are poised to make a run in their last chance to raise the trophy.
The remainder of the Calgary starting line-is also potent. Setter Sarah Lacny is a former junior national team member who landed on the CIS all-rookie team last season and has distributed the ball to Calgary's offensive weapons well this season in recording 762 assists. With Harper on the right side and the Perry/Young combination at power, newcomer Sandholm joins fourth-year senior Laura Spence at the middle spot. It was a breakout season for Spence, whose .309 attack percentage led the team and was seventh in the conference.
Raynell Lavertu has gone wire-to-wire at the libero spot for the Dinos.
First off the bench is generally sophomore left side Laura Wilson, who was the youngest player selected to the senior national team last summer and looks to be the future star power hitter for Calgary after the departure of Perry and Young. Kathryn Moncks (setter), Lindsey Doland (left side), and Melanie Miazga (right side/middle) are also options off the bench for Knight, who completes his first season on the bench this weekend after taking over from Kevin Boyles, who moved on to become the University of Calgary's Director of Athletics.
The 2009 CIS Women's Volleyball Championship opens Thursday, Feb. 26 with four quarterfinal matches, the third of which will feature the Dinos taking on York. Semi-finals go Friday night, with the championship final slated for Saturday evening.
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CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE (all times Mountain)
Video webcast of all 11 games available through: www.cisport.ca/e/championships/w_volleyball/2009
Wednesday, February 25
14:30 Media Conference (Fredericton Inn)
16:00 All-Canadian Award Banquet (Fredericton Inn)
Thursday, February 26
10:00 Quarter-final #1: No. 2 UBC vs. No. 7 Moncton
12:00 Quarter-final #2: No. 3 Trinity Western vs. No. 6 Laval
15:00 Quarter-final #3: No. 4 Calgary vs. 5 York
17:00 Quarter-final #4: No. 1 Montreal vs. No. 8 UNB
Friday, February 27
10:00 Consolation #1
12:00 Consolation #2
15:00 Semi-final #1
17:00 Semi-final #2
Saturday, February 28
11:00 5th place
13:00 Bronze medal
16:00 Championship final
