CALGARY – The University of Calgary Dinos dropped the first set but rebounded to take Game 2 of their weekend series with the MacEwan Griffins 3-1 (20-25, 25-23, 25-16, 25-19) on Seniors' Day in the Jack Simpson Gym Saturday.
The Dinos played in front of a crowd filled with friends and family as they recognized their senior players Brett Bolin, Alex Bader, and
Calvin Siebert after snapping their six-match losing skid in Friday afternoon's series opener.
"Yesterday was a real confidence booster for the guys so we tried come in as confident as we could," said fourth-year outside hitter Regan Fathers.
The Griffins attempted to avoid a sweep at the hands of the Dinos as they kept their serves and blocks strong in the first set which eventually assisted them to gain the lead 21-18. Calgary increased their kills but fell short to the Griffins block whose efforts would help take the first set, 25-20.
Both teams came ready to play in the second set, continuously tying the score as they went point for point. Keeping the tie going to 23-23, it was anybody's game. Third-year outside hitter Tim Taylor came in clutch with a cross court for the Dinos to win the set, 25-23.
"In the first set, our energy seemed really flat and were struggling on our serve-receive. We came out and reset in the second set, we really focused on our serve-receive, making smart decisions offensively and it really paid off," commented Fathers.
Calgary and MacEwan were both eager to win the third set, keeping the score close together. However, the Dinos would pull ahead with outstanding offence to take the lead 20-13. The Griffins couldn't keep up with the Calgary's powerful kills as the Dinos finish strong with a 25-16 win.
In the fourth set, the Dinos would take the lead early using their offensive power at the net to lead 17-12. While dodging the blocks that the Griffins were putting up, the Dinos were able to keep the lead and bridge the scoring gap further to make the score 21-15. The Dinos finish the match strong and take the fourth set, 25-19.
Fathers notched an impressive .750 hitting percentage with 18 kills. Tim Taylor followed him with 15 kills.
MacEwan University led the stats in blocking percentage with their strong defence. Max Vriend had a total of 17 kills the match.
Next week, Dinos will be hosting their cross-town rival Mount Royal University at the Jack Simpson Gym on Thursday, Feb. 15 before wrapping up their season Saturday night at MRU.
MacEwan will welcome the University of Winnipeg Wesmen on Friday and Saturday, Feb. 16-17.
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