CALGARY – The University of Calgary Dinos women's volleyball team will take on the Regina Cougars this weekend for the team's home opener.

The stand-alone action will begin Friday inside the Jack Simpson Gym at 6 p.m. Saturday's contest is scheduled to start at 5 p.m.

FIVE THINGS TO KNOW

1. Dinos vs. Cougars – This will be the first time Calgary and Regina have squared off in the regular season in nearly three full years, with the last meeting coming back in late November of 2019. The Dinos currently hold a 13-game win streak over the Cougars in conference play, with the last regular season loss coming in a 3-2 contest back on Nov. 8, 2013.

2. Big Early Win – The Dinos picked up a significant win last weekend against their crosstown rival. After dropping the season opener in four sets at Mount Royal, Calgary bounced back for a three-set sweep to split. Not only is that an impressive turnaround in less than 24 hours, but it is also a win over defending national silver medallists and earns the team a split in this year's Crowchild Classic series.

3. Setting Up The Team – Dinos third-year setter Stella Rains figures to once again be a key piece of the puzzle for this year's squad. Last season, Rains racked up 513 assists, and already has 42 this season through the opening weekend split with Mount Royal. The Cougars have two prospective setters this season. Annika Hufnagel will play her third season with the Cougars, entering this season with 370 total assists, while second-year Cassadi Klapak amassed 485 assists last season.

4. Team Canada – Three members of this year's Dinos squad had a busy summer away from campus. Current players Sheridan Coninx and Evvia Belireau were both invited by Volleyball Canada's U21 team to a training camp in Edmonton. Meanwhile, Calgary head coach Christine Biggs coached Team Canada's U-19 squad in the 2022 NORCECA (North, Central America and Caribbean Volleyball Confederation) U19 Girls Pan-American Cup, which was hosted this year in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

5. Quotable – "One of my favourite things about our program is that no one person is our 'superstar'. We've got really meaningful contributions coming from every player and each staff on this team. We've really begun to understand the impact each person has on our overall success, and this team-driven mindset is creating an environment where we are developing faster than we've seen before. We've got a balanced offence coming from a team of exceptional setters, and night to night you'll see a variation in our points leaders." – Dinos head coach Christine Biggs.

-UC-