CALGARY – In another strong performance in front of their home crowd, the no.9 University of Calgary Dinos made quick work of the no.8 Regina Cougars on Saturday night, winning in straight sets (25-21, 28-26, 25-16).
The Dinos were very efficient on offence for the second consecutive night, making good on a collective 35% of their attacks. Head Coach Jesse Knight was once again very pleased with the effort from his squad.
“Another really good offensive night,” said Knight, whose team improves to 5-3 in the victory. “Sarah Lacny got us into a bunch of really good 1-on-1 opportunities at the net, and we converted well.
“We knew Regina would come out tougher tonight, and I thought the fight we showed in the first two sets to keep it close and pull out victories was really encouraging,” Knight concluded.
In a competitive first set, the Dinos waited until just the right time to string together a meaningful run of points, riding a 6-2 run to a 25-21 victory. Laura Wilson was the lone Dino directly involved in the late-set run, notching one kill in between five Regina miscues to finish it.
Regina seemed all the more determined in the second set after a disappointing start to the game, leading for the majority of the game, owning 10-6 and 23-20 leads. The Dinos refused to go away however, and led by an ace from Melanie Miazga and a Wilson kill, the home-side clawed back for a 24-23 lead. The teams would trade points for a short while, with Regina fending off two game points, before Calgary sealed it at 28-26 courtesy of a nice Lindsay Russell kill and a Cougars miss-hit into the net.
The extended second set loss seemed to deflate the Cougars for good, as Calgary held a multi point lead for the majority of the third set, including an 18-8 advantage. Regina couldn't find their way after that, finishing the deciding set with only 11% hitting.
Lacny had a game-high 30 assists, with 17 of those going to outside hitter Laura Wilson who had an impressive performance for the Dinos. Wilson hit at a 59% clip and added nine digs, while Russell and Maura Hayes each had seven and six kills respectively while combining for 12 digs. Russell also led both teams with five blocks.
Regina was led by Meagan Onstad and Michelle Sweeting, who each had eight kills. Rebecca Rink led the team in digs with 11, while Tiffany Herman had an impressive four service aces.
Both teams will take a break from Canada West action during the month of December before resuming in the winter semester. On January 14th and 15th, the Regina Cougars (3-5) will travel to Edmonton to face the Alberta Pandas, while Calgary (5-3) will stay at home to kick off the New Year, inviting the UBC Thunderbirds to the Jack Simpson Gym.
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