LANGLEY, B.C. – They pulled off a massive upset of the No. 1 team in the nation a week ago - but the Calgary Dinos couldn't replicate that effort Saturday, falling 3-0 at the hands of the current No. 1, the Trinity Western Spartans, at the Langley Events Centre (29-27, 25-20, 25-16).
BOX SCORE
After the Dinos put a late scare into the Spartans in the latter stages of TWU's four-set win Friday, the blue and white learned its lesson and put Calgary away with a third set in which they hit 45.0 per cent and made only one attack error as a team.
Trinity Western was led by a 14-kill effort from fifth-year Kara Jansen Van Doorn and an impressive 33-assist and 11-dig performance from setter Chelsea Hudson, who was in as the starter after Lauren O'Reilly suffered a minor concussion in Friday's contest.
For Calgary, it was
Ali Sandholm leading the way with eight kills, while libero
Brooke Halvorsen had 14 digs and both Sandholm and
Lindsay Russell each had four blocks.
The Dinos got off to a quick start in the opening set as they managed to take an 8-7 lead into the first break and then continued to maintain their advantage for much of the set. When Calgary's
Sarah Moncks earned a kill to give the Dinos a 21-17 lead, it looked as though they might snatch the first set of Saturday's match.
But right after Moncks kill, TWU roared back with three straight kills from Alicia Perrin, Kara Jansen Van Doorn and Nicole Bazin to get within one. And then, after some back and forth play that sent the set beyond 25, the Spartans capped their come from behind win when Chelsea Hudson and Alicia Perrin stuffed a
Lindsey Doland attack to take the elongated set 29-27.
Trinity Western's Jansen Van Doorn had a set-high seven kills to lead the Spartans, while Moncks had four kills to lead Calgary.
In the second set, it looked like TWU was going to run away with it after they took off on a 9-1 run midway through the set to take a 16-8 lead. But the Dinos didn't quit. Calgary rallied with an 8-3 run of their own to get the game to within three points. But that was as close as they would get. Trinity Western finished things shortly thereafter with Jansen Van Doorn getting the winning kill – one of five she earned in the set – to give the Spartans a five-point victory.
Calgary's Sandholm had a five-kill set but it wasn't enough to get Calgary fully back into the set.
In the third, and what would be final, set the Spartans took control early – opening up an 8-4 lead – and never relinquished their advantage. After allowing Calgary to rally to make it close in the fourth set Friday, on Saturday, TWU wasn't about to let that happen again. The Spartans methodically pulled clear of Calgary with a bevy of different attack options, handily winning the set 25-16.
Both teams will be back in action Jan. 28-29 with the Spartans traveling to play Saskatchewan while Calgary will host Thompson Rivers.
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