CALGARY – A 12-game winning streak on the line, the defending CIS champion Calgary Dinos host the Thompson Rivers WolfPack in men's volleyball action this weekend in the Jack Simpson Gym while the lady Dinos look to move up in the standings as the playoffs approach.

The traditional doubleheaders go Friday and Saturday nights, with the women at 6 p.m. and the men at 8 p.m. Rogers DinoVision will have live coverage of all four matches at www.goDINOS.com/dinovision.

For the Dinos women, the series against the WolfPack (2-10) represents a must-sweep if Calgary is to avoid an extremely difficult quarterfinal series to open the playoffs. While they haven't clinched a playoff spot yet, the 6-6 Dinos sit in sixth place in the Canada West standings with six matches to go, holding a three-game lead over eighth-place Winnipeg. Any combination of four Calgary wins and/or Winnipeg losses over the final three weeks of the season will extend the Dinos' post-season streak.

Jesse Knight's squad does hold out hope for a home playoff date, sitting just one game back of fourth-place Alberta with a series against the Pandas looming. But first things first, the shorthanded Dinos need to take care of business against the WolfPack.

Thompson Rivers has struggled to this point under first-year head coach Keith Lundgren. They opened by dropping their first 10 matches of the season, winning just two sets along the way before finally getting their first wins in a pair of 3-1 home triumphs over Saskatchewan last week.

Kelly Asleson is the 'Pack's most dangerous player offensively, averaging 2.95 kills per set.

Calgary, meanwhile, returns home after dropping two hard-fought games on the road against No. 1 Trinity Western last week. Able to dress just 11 players because of injuries to Laura Wilson (knee), Maura Hayes (leg), and Courtney Dawson (shoulder), the Dinos were unable to upend the Spartans a week after knocking off the previous No. 1 team, the UBC Thunderbirds, in what Knight called “one of the biggest wins of my career.”

With their outside hitter position thrown into chaos because of the injury situation, Lindsay Russell, Lindsey Doland, and Sarah Moncks have stepped in and performed admirably while Melanie Miazga continues to lead the team from the middle.

Calgary wraps up the 2010-11 season with a trip to Manitoba next week followed by a two-game series at home against the Alberta Pandas Feb. 11-12.

On the men's side, the Dinos host the WolfPack as they attempt to extend their unbeaten string to 14 consecutive matches.

Calgary went into Trinity Western last weekend and, at the host site of the national championship tournament this March, walked away with two victories over the number three team in the nation, dropping just one set along the way. The Dinos took over TWU's No. 3 spot in the CIS rankings this week and enter the weekend a perfect 12-0 in conference play.

Hot on their heels, however, are the 11-3 Manitoba Bisons and the 11-1 Alberta Golden Bears, who just happen to be the Dinos' next two opponents. So, with two tough series on the horizon and the goal of finishing first and hosting the Canada West Final Four, the Dinos need victories against the WolfPack to maintain their advantage down the stretch.

Thompson Rivers, is ranked No. 9 in the nation but holds a sub-.500 record of just 5-7. The WolfPack is without the litany of star players that has seen them attend the last two CIS championships – names like Gord Perrin and Behlul Yavasgel – but still boast one of the top players in the nation in sophomore Kevin Tillie.

Tillie sits second in Canada West in total kills, one spot ahead of the Dinos' Graham Vigrass with an average of 4.66 per set. The offence drops sharply from there, however, as rookie middle Casey Knight sits second with 2.88 – the only other TRU player averaging more than two kills.

Calgary's offence is more evenly distributed, with Vigrass leading the way during a season that should have him in the discussion for conference MVP honours. He maintained his hold on second spot in the conference hitting percentage list at .408 last weekend, while his 3.98 kills is third-best in Canada West.

Of the seven team statistical categories kept by Canada West, the Dinos are in the top four of every one and lead all teams in hitting percentage, kills, and assists.

The Dinos men are guaranteed to finish in the top four, meaning they will host playoff competition of some kind. A first-place finish would mean a first-round bye and hosting rights for the Final Four Feb. 25-26; otherwise, Calgary will host a best-of-three quarterfinal series Feb. 17-19.

-UC-