CALGARY – The Calgary Dinos moved back to .500 Saturday night, wrapping up their first series sweep of the season with a 3-1 (26-24, 28-26, 22-25, 25-21) win over the Brandon Bobcats in the Jack Simpson Gym.

BOX SCORE

Led by a 17-kill effort from Andrea Price, the Dinos came from behind to win the first two sets in extra points before leading wire-to-wire in the fourth to improve to 4-4 on the season. Brandon falls to 2-6.

“Brandon came out and challenged our serve and pass game, as well as our middles,” said Calgary head coach Natalie Schwartz. “We were a little inconsistent with our response to that challenge, but I'm happy that we found a way to win – even when it didn't seem that we wanted it.

“We're slowly learning to consistently fight and stay in every play until its completion, whether it looks the way we want or not. I'm happy with the sweep.”

The Dinos showed that fight throughout the match, but it was most evident in the first set. Brandon led by as many as six points in the opener, with the Dinos finally able to tie it up at 19-19 thanks to a block by Price and Ali Sandholm. After the teams traded points from there, the Bobcats pulled away and set up set point at 24-22 with a kill by Meaghan Robertson, one of 19 on the night for her. But the Dinos wrapped up the set with four straight points, taking the opener 26-24.

The Bobcats also had a late lead in the second at 23-22, but a Sarah Moncks kill tied it up for Calgary. Price again kept the Dinos alive with the Bobcats up 26-25, and an error by Chloe Reimer gave Calgary a two-set lead with a 28-26 win. Brandon battled back in the third and rushed out to an 8-2 lead. That lead extended to as many as nine points, but the Dinos were able to cut it back to just two at 23-21. The mountain, as it turned out, was just too high to climb, and Brandon escaped with a 25-22 third-set win.

The fourth went to the Dinos comfortably 25-21, as they again pulled away in the late points with a 5-1 run after the Bobcats tied it up 20-20.

Price's 17 kills came on 33 swings with just six errors for an efficient 33 per cent performance to lead the Dinos. Sarah Moncks added 13, while Lindsey Doland and Courtney Dawson each scored in double digits with 10 kills. Calgary was also impressive on the defensive side of the ball, recording 12.5 team blocks – led by seven from Dawson – and 63 digs. Libero Krystal Boyd led the way with 14 digs for the Dinos, with Moncks and Sarah Lacny registering 11 each.

In addition to Robertson's 19 kills, Reimer and Victoria Dakin each scored 11 for the Bobcats. Lindsay McLaughlin and Reimer tied for the team lead with 15 digs apiece.

The Dinos head on the road next week to  face the four-time defending CIS champion UBC Thunderbirds, while Brandon heads to Regina to take on the Cougars.

-UC-