CALGARY – Hope Kotun powered the offensive attack with a team-high 17 kills as the University of Toronto Varsity Blues outlasted a valiant comeback effort by the University of Calgary Dinos in a consolation semi-final match at the U SPORTS Women's Volleyball Championship from inside the Jack Simpson Gym.

Toronto now advances to the consolation final after surviving Saturday's five-set thriller; 21-25, 18-25, 25-22, 25-22, 13-15. 

Kenzie Vaandering led the charge for the Dinos in front of the home crowd, putting up a game-high 22 kills while also adding 14 digs. Sheridan Coninx was named Calgary's top performer in the match as she put down 11 kills and had a team-high .474 hitting percentage. 

Although the Dinos season is now finished, Vaandering, one of the lone veterans on this young Calgary squad, was incredibly proud of her team's effort, especially how they battled back after going down 2-0 to start the match. 

"I think it's pretty special to go out there and leave everything out on the court," said the fourth-year outside. "With each set we got better and pushing them to five is definitely something to be proud of. Even though it wasn't the result we wanted, I'm really proud of how hard we fought and kept coming back every single time and every single point." 

Propelled by three straight kills from Vaandering, the Dinos came out to a flying 4-0 start in set number one, prompting the Blues to call an early timeout. 

Toronto would rally back, thanks in large part to a 6-0 run midway through the opening set to take control 19-15. The Dinos made things interesting late, pulling within one to make the score 21-20, but that was as close as they would come, as Toronto would pull away for the 25-21 win. 

In the second, it was all Blues, as they controlled the majority of the second set. Toronto had a match-high .333 hitting percentage in the third, much cleaner than the Dinos' .226. 

With their backs against the wall, the Dinos brought their best stuff in set number three, especially on the defensive side of the net. Calgary had five blocks in the set and held the Blues to just a .108 hitting percentage, by far Toronto's lowest of the match. 

And the Dinos weren't done there, as they would build off the momentum of the third set and take the fourth set as well, even after trailing 11-6 at one point. Late in the fourth, and trailing 21-18, a well-timed 4-0 run would give the Dinos the cushion they needed to send the game to a fifth and deciding set with a 25-22 win.

The fifth was a back-and-forth affair, with both teams hitting at an incredibly high percentage. The Blues converted on exactly half of their attacks, which was enough to secure them the 15-13 win and book their ticket to the consolation final.  

Vaandering, who played in her final match as a Dino, was thrilled with the weekend as a whole, especially being able to play in front of the home crowd. She graduates from the program alongside Marina Culo and Julia Sprentz.

"It's been amazing," said the fourth-year when asked on her takeaways from the weekend. "I'm really going to remember the support from the fans, the athletic department and everyone that showed up and cheered for us. I think it's such a good building block for next year, especially since we have such a young team." 

The Blues will now go on to face the Brock Badgers in the consolation final on Sunday at 12 p.m., while the Dinos can start looking ahead to the 2022-23 season.