CALGARY - A strong offensive showing propelled the Dinos women's volleyball team to a 3-1 win over the Mount Royal University Cougars on Saturday evening at Jack Simpson gymnasium (21-25, 25-18, 27-25, 25-21). 

The win means a split for this weekend's Crowchild Classic series, after the Dinos fell 3-1 on Friday at MRU's Kenyon Court.
"We knew we needed to get the split and I think my girls laid it all out on the line," said head coach Natalie Gurnsey.

The Dinos hitters put on a showing on Saturday, with four players all getting into the double digits for kills. Jaylynn Moffat topped the charts with 14, Beth Vinnell and Amber Adolf earned 11 apiece and Laura McManes chipped in with 10. Vinnell was also the home side's defensive standout, registering eight digs.

For the Cougars, the majority of the attack came from Alex Donaghy, who managed 13 kills. Defensively, Maddi Quinn came up strong with 13 of her team's 46 digs – five more than any other player on Saturday.

Gurnsey said her team made some positional changes for Saturday's game. Vinnell moved from her usual position at middle to right side, allowing second-year middle Jillian Lazic to come off the bench.

"We have never played [Vinnell] on right side and we hadn't even trained it," said Gurnsey. "That was a big risk but it worked out."
Exciting right from first serve, the match started out with a long rally, eventually won by the Dinos. Both teams began the match with some strong defense, with the teams displaying some impressive digging.

But there were also many unforced errors from both sides, like missed serves and double-touches.

As the set went on, momentum swung towards the Cougars. Pinpoint hitting from Donaghy meant the away side went into the first technical time-out up 16-14.

"We talked a lot about making Mount Royal earn their points. We gave away too many last night, so we were really focused on our personal jobs and executing them," said Gurnsey.

With the set tied at 19, it looked like either team could take it. Vinnell was key for the Dinos, registering five ferocious kills from her new berth at right side.  But the Cougars finished strong, eventually taking the frame 25-21.

The Dinos started the second set worse than the first, quickly going down 5-0. But Moffatt picked up her hitting percentage, and the Dinos eventually tied it up at 8. With the crowd building in size, the home side's energy picked up exponentially.

"Obviously as a team we need to create our own energy, but having the energy of the home crowd behind you helps a ton and helps us get going as well," said Vinnell of the 300+ fans in attendance.

The Dinos' improved hitting and some authoritative defense at the net – the "block party" registered five team blocks in the second frame – gave the home team a three-point lead at the technical. The Cougars imploded defensively after that, and a vicious spike down the line from McManes meant the Dinos would take the set 25-18.

"Our setter did a better job of spreading around the ball tonight and utilizing all our strengths," said Gurnsey of her team's improved hitting.

The Dinos momentum continued into the third set, with the home side pulling ahead 6-1 and 10-5. But the Cougars came back into it, with Taylor Pelland and Donaghy sharing the kills for the away side.

The third set proved to be the most even, with the score tied at each point from 20 through 25. The Dinos eventually scored their set point to win the third frame 27-25. 

The fourth played out much like the third. Moffatt was the set's standout player, hitting at 44 percent and putting up some big kills for the Dinos.

Despite the Cougars leading 18-15, the Dinos came back into it. Two service aces from Taeya Page – coming into the match for the first time in the fourth set – gave the Dinos a 19-18 lead. From there, the home side managed to hold on for the 25-21 win. Moffatt ended the match with a big block.

"That was a big win for us to pull out, especially after [the loss] yesterday," said Vinnell. "The players were confident and were being aggressive and it worked in our favour."

The win keeps the Dinos on the fringes of a playoff position, with a 9-11 record. The weekend split leapfrogs the Cougars over the Dinos for sixth place.

The Dinos have a bye next weekend, meaning their next game isn't until Feb. 12. According to Gurnsey, the bye will be crucial for her team's recovery, as the team will next play the third-placed University of Alberta Pandas.

"We have a weekend off, which is very needed for our bodies," said Gurnsey. "But we know what we need to do to be able to have a shot at playoffs."

Volleyball fans at the U of C will have to be patient for their next fix, as the Dinos' next home game isn't until Feb. 19, when they take on the University of Manitoba.