BOX SCORE CALGARY – The University of Calgary Dinos rode strong performances from rookie Keith West and veteran Connor Frehlich to a straight-sets win over the UBC Okanagan Heat Sunday afternoon (25-21, 25-22, 25-17) to wrap up the calendar year in Canada West men's volleyball action.

The win improves the Dinos' record to 7-5 and in a tie for fifth place in Canada West at the Christmas break, while UBC Okanagan falls to 2-10 on the campaign.

West had easily his best outing as a Dino, picking up 15 kills on 24 swings and hitting 37.5 per cent on the afternoon. Frehlich added nine kills for Calgary, while Greg Mann put down eight to follow up on his solid performance in Calgary's 3-2 victory Saturday night.

For UBC Okanagan, Nate Speijer was again the leader with 14 kills, seeing 31 balls set his way – nearly double that of his closest teammates. Kyle Pankratz added six kills for the Heat, while Lars Bornemann added five to the Heat's cause.

The first set saw the tightest play of the entire match, with 16 tie scores and seven lead changes as the teams went back and forth until the late stages. From a 17-17 tie, however, the Dinos took over to score three straight, giving them the edge they needed to take a 25-21 win in the first.

The second was all Dinos until near the end, as Calgary opened up a commanding 16-7 lead at the break. The Heat responded with a run of its own after the technical time out but never managed to tie the score, and Calgary hung on for the 25-22 win.

In the third, play was again close for the first five points before Calgary took advantage of its opportunities to stretch out to an 8-5 lead and never looked back, cruising easily to the 25-17 win to take the match in three straight.

On the day, the Dinos held a 41-31 advantage in blocking and a 30-26 edge in digs, while UBC Okanagan managed to out-block the Dinos by an 8-5 margin.

Both teams take an extended break for December exams and return to Canada West action Jan. 10-11. The Heat will host provincial rival UBC for a two game set that weekend, while the Dinos will also play at home with the Manitoba Bisons in town to visit the Jack Simpson Gym. The Dinos will host the 2014 CIS men's volleyball championship in the Jack Feb. 27-March 1.

-UC-