BRANDON, Man. - The University of Calgary Dinos women's volleyball team rebounded from a slow start Friday night, winning three sets in a row en route to a four set win (18-25, 25-17, 25-10, 26-24) against the Brandon Bobcats at the Healthy Living Centre. Coming into the match on a three game win streak, the Dinos looked to continue their strong start to the season. The Bobcats, winless on the season, were trying to turn around their rough few opening weeks.
The first set appeared to have their storylines mixed up, as Brandon was able to jump out to an early lead they never relinquished once. Led by Nikala Majewski and her seven kills, the Bobcats took the first set easily, 25-18, finished off by a Majewski tip.
Calgary shaken by the first set came out with a renewed energy in the second, grabbing the early lead. Unlike the first set, the Dinos managed to control the play and momentum, keyed by a more aggressive attack. The Bobcats survived three set points but Jaylynn Moffatt finished off the set with a strong kill. Moffatt, along with Kate Pexman, led the Dinos to the second set win.
It was more of the same in the third set, as Calgary's regained confidence spurred them to an easy third set win. Brandon went on a small run in the middle of the set to bring it within six points, but the Dinos finished strong with a 9-0 run on their way to a 25-10 set win.
The Bobcats did make it interesting in the fourth set coming out strong like they did in the first set. Calgary never let them out of their sights however, storming back from an 18-14 deficit, before tying it up at 20. Both teams traded two point swings, before the Dinos pulled away 24-22. Brandon avoided three match points, before a serving error gave Calgary a fourth match point. The Dinos finally capitalized on the mistake, with the game ending after a Laura McManes attack came off the block and hit the net pole.
With the win the Dinos move to 4-1 on the season, while the defeat drops the Bobcats to 0-5. These teams conclude their weekend series tomorrow night at the Healthy Living Centre, with the match slated to start at 4 p.m. MST.
