WINNIPEG – The University of Calgary Dinos men's volleyball team dropped a hard-fought four-set match 3-1 (25-23, 23-25, 19-25, 27-29) to the Winnipeg Wesmen on Saturday night, closing a gruelling six-match road trip.

Calgary improved on Friday's effort, taking the opening set before falling in three tight frames.

Will Kay again led the Dinos with 12 kills and five digs. Luke Nodwell added 10 kills, two block assists and five digs.

Calgary opened the first set with an 8-4 lead, getting contributions from across the lineup. Winnipeg answered with a run to tie the score at 9-9, turning the set into a series of short swings. The Dinos rebuilt a 14-10 advantage, but the Wesmen responded with four straight points to even it again. Calgary closed strong, and a double block from Cam Hutt and Kay sealed the 25–23 win.

The Dinos carried that start into the second set and again jumped out to an 8-4 lead. Winnipeg responded as they had in the first, trading points with Calgary through the middle of the frame. A service ace by Jaxson Rose gave the Wesmen a 22-21 edge. Kills from Liam Allen and Luke Lodewyks closed out the set 25-23 and tied the match.

Winnipeg took control in the third with a 6-1 run that forced a Dinos timeout. The Wesmen hit .385 in the set – their best stretch of the night – and pulled away for a 25-19 win.

The fourth set saw both Kay brothers deliver. Winnipeg opened with four straight points before Will Kay responded with kills on three of the next four Calgary points. Down four again later in the frame, the Dinos inserted Sam Kay, who provided a spark. Calgary stayed in it and mounted a 7-0 run late to tie the set at 23-23, but a pair of errors in extra points cost the Dinos, and Winnipeg claimed the set 29–27 to end the match.

Lodewyks led the Wesmen with 19 kills on .306 hitting. Tristan Arnold finished with 43 assists.

The Dinos fall to 2-6 in Canada West play, while the Wesmen improve to 4-4.

Calgary returns home to the Jack Simpson Gym next weekend for the first time since mid-October, hosting the Fraser Valley Cascades on Nov. 28-29.

Winnipeg travels to Vancouver to face the UBC Thunderbirds on the same dates.

-UC-