CALGARY – The University of Calgary Dinos women's volleyball team celebrated Seniors' Day Saturday at the Jack Simpson Gym but fell 3-0 to the Thompson Rivers WolfPack (21-25, 20-25, 19-25).

Calgary needed a win, or help from other games, to secure a home playoff date in the opening round. With the loss and the Winnipeg Wesmen's win over the Brandon Bobcats, the Dinos will now travel for the postseason.

Saturday marked the final home game for seniors Dominique Desautels, Ashley Ditchfield, and Kaylyn Tanton. Calgary finishes the regular season 8-12, while Thompson Rivers wraps up 14-6 and will host a playoff series in Kamloops.

Sophia Hansen opened the scoring with a kill, followed by a point from Fehr. The teams traded points early, with TRU holding a narrow 5-4 edge. Ashley Ditchfield made her presence felt with back-to-back blocks, and Narelle Arnold added one of her own to keep Calgary within striking distance.

TRU extended its lead to 14-10 midway through the set, but Fehr continued to spread the offence and involve multiple hitters. After Courtney Webber subbed in to serve, Calgary chipped away at the deficit to make it 20-17. Kills from Ditchfield and Hansen brought the Dinos within two, but TRU held on to take the set 25-21.

TRU's Faith Christensen delivered the first kill of the second set, but the Dinos responded quickly. Hansen found success on an inside set, while Blanke added a kill to keep Calgary close. TRU built a 12-8 advantage before Arnold came up with another timely block to slow the momentum. Despite trailing 18-13 and later 23-20, the Dinos continued to push, but TRU closed out the set 25-20.

TRU once again claimed the opening point of the third, but Hansen answered with a strong kill down the line. Calgary closed the gap to 5-4 and continued to compete point-for-point with strong block defence at the net. Ditchfield added another kill as the Dinos looked to stay within reach, but TRU created separation late and secured the match with a 25-19 win.

Blanke led Calgary with 15 kills, while Fehr ran the offence with 25 assists. The teams were evenly matched at the net, with TRU recording 11 blocks and Calgary 10. TRU was led offensively by Keira Gent's nine kills and Libby Meldrum's 32 assists. 

Up next, the Dinos' postseason run starts on the road as they head to Winnipeg for a best-of-three series against the Wesmen, starting Thursday.

-UC-