KELOWNA, B.C. - The University of Calgary Dinos women's volleyball team suffered a heartbreaking five set loss against the UBC Okanagan Heat (25-17, 26-24, 19-25, 18-25, 12-15) Friday night at the UBC Okanagan Gymnasium. With the loss the Dinos saw their seven game winning streak come to an end.

UBC Okanagan and Calgary came into the matchup riding hot starts to the season, with identical 8-1 records leading to both teams being ranked in the U Sports top 10 at the beginning of play. 

The Dinos jumped out to a great start with a quick 5-1 run forcing an early timeout by the Heat. UBC Okanagan swiftly countered with a 5-1 run of their own, tying it up in the first set. Calgary managed to weather the storm and went into the technical timeout up two following a Jaylynn Moffat kill. This was the start of a 10-3 run by the Dinos, backed by a strong blocking presence up front. Fittingly, Calgary finished off the set with two blocks, the first by Moffat alone, then set point coming of a combined block from Moffat and Laura McManes. The Dinos ended the first set with an impressive six points off blocks.

After a first set characterized by multiple runs from both sides, the second set saw neither team able to break away from the other. A long rally in the middle of the set ended with a McManes kill, giving the Dinos a 13-11 lead. After both teams traded points, Kate Pexman's 10th kill of the match took the Dinos into the technical timeout with a one-point lead. Unlike the first set, Calgary was unable to run away from the Heat, finding themselves up against a set point at 23-24. A huge block by Hannah Tanasichuk and Jillian Lazic kept them alive, followed immediately by another McManes kill, giving the Dinos their own set point. An attacking error by the Heat finished off the set, giving Calgary a huge 2-0 set lead.

The Dinos started the third set off strong, building a quick 4-0 lead. Calgary seemed to be in complete control heading into the technical timeout with a lead for the third set in a row, this time 16-11. It was all Heat after that however, as an 11-0 run helped UBC Okanagan cruise to a 25-19 set win.

Looking to shake off a tough third set loss, the Dinos once again got off to a fast start, but the Heat went on a quick 6-0 run to take a lead of their own in the early going. The Dinos struggled with their attacking in the fourth set, committing seven attacking errors before their first kill of the set. This ended up creating a 13-6 deficit that they were unable to climb out of. Calgary finished the set with a negative 0.154 attacking percentage and 11 errors. 

The fifth set started out shaky for the Dinos finding themselves in a quick 4-1 deficit. Calgary was able to bounce back however, tying the set up at seven, before going on a small run to give them an 11-8 lead. The Heat, never relenting the entire match, went on a 7-1 run to close out the set and complete the comeback.

Calgary finished the match with a 0.107 hitting percentage, compared to UBC Okanagan's 0.112. Pexman and McManes led the Dinos with 19 and 13 kills respectively in the losing cause.

With the loss Calgary drops to 8-2, while UBC Okanagan improves to 9-1. The Dinos will try to finish the first semester on a high note as they take on these same UBC Okanagan Heat tomorrow night. Game time is scheduled for 6 p.m. MST.

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