Block Party on tap Friday

CALGARY – The University of Calgary Dinos men’s volleyball team (3-6) will host the Thompson Rivers WolfPack (5-5) for two games this weekend at the Jack Simpson Gym in Calgary. These games mark the final weekend of play before the winter break.
 
The first game takes place Friday at 6 p.m. Saturday’s game is scheduled for 7:45 p.m. and will begin immediately following the women’s game.
 
Friday’s game is also the annual Block Party for the Dinos. Before the game, join the Dinos at The Landing, with music by DJ Woodford Munro and free Dinos swag available.
 
FIVE THINGS TO KNOW
 
1. LAST GAMES OF 2022 – This weekend marks the unofficial halfway point of the season. Following the completion of Saturday’s game, both teams will be off for over a month as Canada’s fall semester comes to a close. Action will resume for the Dinos on Jan. 6 with a road trip to Fraser Valley.
 
2. BLOCK PARTY AT THE BLOCK PARTY – Calgary and TRU enter this weekend’s game ranked as the top two teams in terms of blocks per set. Calgary is averaging 2.52, while TRU is close behind at 2.38. Both teams are the only two in Canada West to eclipse 100 blocks as a team, thus far. As it so happens, this weekend’s matchup has also been dubbed the Block Party, with plenty of activities pre-game for fans.
 
3. A LOOK AT THE STANDINGS – In just under three months, eight teams from Canada West will earn the chance to compete in the playoffs for the division crown. As it stands right now, TRU is currently in seventh place with 10 points. Calgary is just one win outside of the playoff picture with six points on the season. If the Dinos can take two off the WolfPack this weekend, they can vault themselves into playoff position heading into the break.
 
4. OPPOSING FORCES – Fresh off last season’s all-rookie campaign, Dinos second-year middle Louis Kunstmann is having another strong statistical season. Kunstmann leads all Canada West hitters in hitting percentage, converting at a staggering 52 percent. On the other side of the net, the WolfPack’s third-year libero Dylan VanSpankeren is second in conference digs, totalling 92 thus far through 43 sets. TRU’s fifth-year middle Michael Svab has also been getting it done on the defensive end, averaging 1.14 blocks per set, which ranks third in Canada West.
 
5. HISTORY OF THE MATCHUP – The Dinos and WolfPack are relatively unfamiliar opponents, having only faced one another 26 times in conference play. The Dinos are 20-6 all-time against the Wolfpack, however, the last 10 games tell a different story. During that span, Calgary holds a narrow lead, winning six of the last 10 matchups. These teams faced each other twice in the preseason, with Calgary taking both in straight sets. 

-UC-