CALGARY – The University of Calgary Dinos got past a lengthy mid-match delay to scorch the MacEwan University Griffins in four sets Saturday afternoon in the Jack Simpson Gym (25-22, 24-26, 25-21, 25-8).
With the win on Seniors' Day, the Dinos improve to 19-3 on the regular season while MacEwan falls to 2-20.
Despite play being delayed midway through the third set due to a fire alarm, the disturbance did not impact the Dinos' ability to dominate, especially in the quick-paced fourth set. For the game, Calgary tallied a total of 56 kills and 73 digs, notching a .253 hitting percentage, while the Griffins tallied 44 kills, 62 digs, and ae efficiency of .182.
Calgary's victory was an all-around team effort led by
Laura McManes with 16 kills, followed by
Beth Vinnell who contributed 11 kills, while
Kate Pexman and
Amber Adolf each chipped in 12 kills apiece. Leah Shevkenek dished out a match-high 44 assists, while Kennedy Snape posted an impressive 24 digs in the triumph.
Cassidy Kinsella led MacEwan with a notable 17 kills and 11 digs during the contest, while Claire McLoughlin added 33 helpers and eight digs. Kate Rozendaal and Lauren Holmes contributed eight and seven kills, respectively.
The Dinos were off to a strong start after a 4-0 run in the first set, however, the Griffins fought back, and consecutive kills by Kinsella equalized the score at 11-11. The teams traded points for the next bit, matching again at 15-15, but it was Calgary that sealed the set off a pair of kills from Adolf and Moffatt, as well as a service ace by McManes. The set closed 25-22.
With the second set, the teams traded the first six points of the game until a play by Kinsella sparked a 5-0 run for MacEwan and 12-6 lead, including two kills by the outside hitter and a service ace by McLoughlin. The Dinos fought back, tying the score at 20-20 and 24-24, but a kill by Rozendaal and an attack error by Pexman gave the Griffins the set point, 26-24.
Though the first few points of the third set were neck and neck between the Dinos and the Griffins, it was attack errors by the visiting team that gave Calgary 5-3 advantage, on which the Dinos capitalized to build a 12-9 lead. After returning from the enforced evacuation, Calgary continued to display dominance, as MacEwan was unable to come closer than two. Taking advantage of an attack error, the Dinos took the set, 25-21.
The Dinos anchored an impressive 12-2 lead in the fourth set, capitalizing off a 7-0 run at the start of play. The closest the Griffins were able to come within throughout the set was five, and Calgary was able to quickly pull away, maintaining the advantage. Pexman, Adolf and Vinnell all tallied several kills in the final stretch, but it was a service error by McKenna Stevenson that clinched the set, 25-8.
"Volleyball is such a mental game; it's always a challenge for us to stay composed, and we were on a roller coaster today," commented head coach
Natalie Gurnsey. "I think the fire alarm was actually an amazing reset for us – we were able to spend time recharging and emotionally preparing ourselves to compete by letting go of whatever we liked or didn't like in our play thus far. We talked about playing confidently, like we are 18-3.
"That being said, I think we came back into third playing like we wanted to win, and were able to play the fourth set in a way that celebrates the achievements of our seniors."
Next week, Calgary will host the Mount Royal Cougars Thursday in the front end of a season-ending home-and-home series, while the Griffins will return to Edmonton to host the Winnipeg Wesmen.
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