CALGARY – In front of a packed crowd of young club volleyball players and alumni, the University of Calgary Dinos defensive stamina came out on top in a four-set seniors' day match against the UBC Okanagan Heat Saturday afternoon in the Jack Simpson Gym (25-19, 17-25, 25-20, 25-14).
First-year Heat attacker Amaya Perry handled the bulk of the offence for the Heat, as she claims the number one spot in statistics with 13 kills, four aces and five digs. Meanwhile, the Dinos senior middles were their offensive catalyses as
Beth Vinnell earned 12 kills, four blocks, 11 digs and an impressive .450 hitting percentage, followed closely behind by
Autumn Davidson with 10 kills and six blocks.
Set one was nothing but a solid showing of the Dinos' defensive efforts as the blocking frontline shut down the Heat's primary attackers with six total blocks.
Rachel Solecki spurred the charge for the Dinos in the first 25 points of the match with four kills, one block and four digs. Despite offensive pushback from Heat outside Hellen Lacava, consistent defence and minimal mistakes carried the Dinos through for a 25-19 win.
In set two, the Dinos struggled to find their tempo on offence, faltering to find accuracy with their front row shots. Meanwhile, the Heat surged ahead from behind the service line, earning six aces in set two alone. The Heat gained huge moments of energy from shutting down long rallies, pushing past for a set two 25-17 win.
Set three started out bumpy for the Dinos defence, as the Heat left them scrambling on well-placed line shots. The Dinos got back on track after a few momentum-shifting kills from senior
Adriel Goodman, and the Dinos managed to eliminate the Heat's five-point lead. At 16-16,
Beth Vinnell rolled through with an eight-point serving run, allowing the Dinos to wrap up set three with a 25-20 win.
"This season has been a whirlwind, we've had a lot of ups and downs, but I wouldn't have asked for anything different- it's been truly amazing to be able to play out my last year with this team," said Vinnell when asked to recount her final season as a Dino. "Heading into nationals, we are focusing on taking care of ourselves and coming back fresh. We hope to get to a place where we can show them what we got and leave it all out on the floor."
In set four,
Kennedy Snape boosted an all-around strong performance in the back row, earning seven of her 13 total digs. The Dinos put an end to the Heat's serving streaks and minimized defensive errors, shutting out the Heat from point-winning offence. All-around consistent play from the Dinos steered the way for a 25-14 final win of the afternoon.
Following the game, the Dinos recognized their six seniors,
Autumn Davidson,
Adriel Goodman,
Kate Pexman,
Kennedy Snape,
Rachel Solecki, and
Beth Vinnell.
UBCO ends their season with a 7-17 record. The Dinos have their sights set towards hosting the 2020 U SPORTS Championship, March 12-15 in the Jack Simpson Gym.
