<strong>CALGARY – </strong>The University of Calgary Dinos women's volleyball team found themselves in a hole early and fell short of an impressive comeback in a four-set defeat to the MacEwan Griffins (17-25, 15-25, 25-23, 23-25) on Saturday night in the Jack Simpson Gym.<br /> <br /> Sophia Hansen led the Dinos with 13 kills, while Kara Frith powered the Griffins' attack en route to the visitors' first win of the season as the two sides split the opening weekend matchup.<br /> <br /> The opening set began with an early Dinos point before the Griffins responded with a five-point run. Hansen stopped the streak with a sharp kill, but MacEwan maintained control as both sides traded short runs. Frith took charge late in the frame, notching several key kills before a service ace sealed a 25-17 win for the Griffins.<br /> <br /> MacEwan carried that momentum into the second set, jumping out to an early four-point lead. Hansen and Narelle Arnold combined for a block to get Calgary on the board, and the Dinos briefly went ahead 8-7. However, the Griffins quickly regained the lead and pulled away, taking the second set 25-15.<br /> <br /> The Dinos regrouped in the third, overcoming an early deficit to extend the match. After trailing by as many as eight points, Calgary capitalized on a MacEwan service error to mount a five-point run. Late kills from Hansen helped tie the score at 23-23 before the Dinos closed out the set 25-23 to stay alive.<br /> <br /> The fourth set was tightly contested throughout. Calgary opened with the first point, but MacEwan answered with a five-point run before another Hansen block stopped the surge. The Dinos fought back to tie the set at 10-10 and again at 13-13 after a service ace.<br /> <br /> From there, both teams traded points in a back-and-forth battle. The Dinos briefly took the lead at 19-18, but the Griffins rallied late to close out the set 25-23 and secure the 3-1 match victory.<br /> <br /> "We didn't come out of the gate in the way that I know we're capable of, so that was definitely challenging," said Calgary head coach Christine Biggs. "The way it ended is obviously not what we're looking for, but I am proud of the group for fighting to the bitter end. I think it gives us an opportunity to be motivated to take charge of all the little moments that seem most significant."<br /> <br /> The Dinos head into a bye week before returning to action on Oct. 30 when travel to Winnipeg to take on the Manitoba Bisons.<br /> <br /> The Griffins head home to face the Thompson Rivers WolfPack from Oct. 24-25.<br /> <br /> -UC-<br />