CALGARY – The University of Calgary Dinos men's volleyball team clinched their spot in the Canada West playoffs in a 3-0 sweep of Thompson Rivers Saturday night at the Jack Simpson Gym. The Dinos won both key matchups over TRU this weekend, leapfrogging them in the standings and earning a spot in the postseason.

Calgary finished the regular season with a record of 8-12, while TRU ended the year 6-14.

Prior to Saturday's first serve, the Dinos recognized their four seniors, with this being the final home game for Zack Durrant, Erik Godwin, Damon Lor and Max Penner.

The first set was tight, with the teams going back and forth until a 15-15 score. TRU grabbed a small, two-point lead thanks to kills from Alex Howard and Parker Bailey, but three straight points from the Dinos gave them a 21-20 lead late. With things knotted at 23, a kill from Erik Godwin and a block from Will Kay earned the Dinos a 25-23 first-set victory.

"It was a full team effort," said Dinos head coach Graham Vigrass. "We showed our level. From top to bottom, we've got 15 guys who can play."

The Dinos grabbed an early 9-5 lead in the second set thanks to kills from Sam Kay and Luke Nodwell, and never looked back. A huge block from Luke Nodwell gave the Dinos a 23-17 lead, and even with five straight points from TRU at the end of the set, the Dinos came away with a 25-22 win, officially clinching them a berth in the postseason.

The third was much tighter, with TRU scoring three straight to tie things up at 21 late. But four straight points, including kills from Godwin and Will Kay, earned the Dinos a 25-21 third set victory and 3-0 sweep on the day. 

It was a big night at the net for the Dinos, racking up a season-high 15.5 blocks in the three-set win. Second-year middle Luke Nodwell led the effort with a career-high 11 blocks one night after setting a previous career high of nine.

Calgary now finishes the regular season ninth in the Canada West standings and will take on city rival Mount Royal this coming week in a best-of-three play-in series hosted by MRU, starting Thursday.

"We've got to set the tone with our style of volleyball next weekend," said Vigrass. "Focus is on that game. We've got to be aggressive no matter who it is."

-UC-