VANCOUVER – The University of Calgary Dinos men's volleyball team won a tight third set but fell 3-1 (17-25, 20-25, 26-24, 11-25) to the UBC Thunderbirds on Saturday at War Memorial Gym.
The Thunderbirds' serve set the tone from the opening rally. Wil Basilio opened the match with back-to-back aces, and Gavin Moes added two more to force a Calgary timeout, 7-3. UBC finished the first set with six aces, and setter Daniel Lewis closed it out with one of his own.
Calgary answered with a much more competitive second set, which featured seven ties and five lead changes.
Sam Kay put the Dinos up 6-4 and again at 8-7, but UBC pulled away mid-set. Rookie
Max Grantham, in his first weekend of university volleyball, kept Calgary within reach with five kills before Basilio sealed it 25-20.
The Dinos then opened the third set with a five-point run, sparked by a
Marshall Qually kill and a stretch of serves from
Sam Kay that included an ace and a triple block, forcing an early UBC timeout. Grantham's kill made it 7-2, and
Cole Czepuryk piled up six kills in the set as Calgary built a 23-19 lead. The Thunderbirds rallied with four straight points, including a Moes ace, to tie it at 23-23. After the teams traded points, Grantham put Calgary at set point with a kill, and a UBC attack error handed the Dinos the set 26-24.
UBC took control from the start of the fourth, opening with five straight points and building a 13-4 lead. Alex Emery finished the match with consecutive aces.
Czepuryk led the Dinos with 11 kills and six digs, while Grantham added 10 kills and four block assists in his second career Canada West match. Qually was efficient at the net with six kills on 11 swings and no errors, setter
Matthew Brown handed out 32 assists and
Noah Schick had seven digs.
Moes led UBC with 14 kills and four aces, and Basilio contributed nine kills and four aces. Danny Cravioto-Ross added eight kills on 10 attempts and six block assists, while Lewis added 36 assists. The Thunderbirds held a 14-2 advantage in aces.
The result leaves Calgary at 0-2 to start the Canada West season, while UBC moves to 2-0.
The Dinos will have a bye next weekend and return to action Friday, Nov. 6, when they host the UBC Okanagan Heat in their home opener at 7:15 p.m. at Jack Simpson Gymnasium. Tickets are available at GoDinos.com/Tickets.
UBC will travel to face the Saskatchewan Huskies on Friday, Oct. 30.
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