Dinos stumble against Cougars

CALGARY – The University of Calgary Dinos men’s volleyball team dropped a 3-1 decision Friday evening at the hands of the Mount Royal Cougars, who were led by Jacob Van Geel and Chris Byam’s combined 35 kills.

The Dinos, who were playing in front of a raucous home crowd at the Jack Simpson Gym, struggled to handle the Cougars service pressure, which put them on their heels for most of the game. The Dinos were able to make things interesting by playing with effort and energy on the defensive end, spreading the ball around to a number of their gifted hitters. However the Cougars clean and efficient play was the difference in the end, as they were able to close out the fourth and final set on an eight-point run. 

“It doesn’t matter what team you’re facing. If you can’t serve and pass you will not be successful in this league,” Dinos head coach Rod Durrant said after the game. “We’ve addressed it and we’re going to continue to have to address it. It’s been our achilles heel for the last nine matches. We just have to find a way to stabilize the serve receive and we’ll be alright.”

From the opening serve, there was an electric atmosphere in the gymnasium, as these crosstown foes faced each other for the latest chapter in the rivalry. The teams traded punches, as players from both MRU and Calgary looked to find their stride in this game. Early on it became clear that MRU was committed to stopping Calgary’s star hitter, Louis Kunstmann, who entered the game ranked seventh in the Canada West in total kills. MRU consistently sent three blockers to Kunstmann’s side, which forced Dinos setter Zack Durrant to funnel the offence in a different direction.

Later in the set, after a momentous kill by Calgary’s Anders Bouck shrunk MRU’s lead to 21-19, Chris Byam took over the game, registering two set-altering kills, the last of which he powered through the arms of two Dinos blockers. The Cougars would take the first set 25-21.

Calgary would answer back in a big way, winning the second set 25-21 thanks to some strong defensive play, as they made an effort to limit MRU’s outside attack, which had been so prolific in the opening set.

After the break the Cougars began to run more of their offence through the middle, which reopened things up for them on the edges later on. After taking a tight third set, the Cougars found themselves tied 18-18 with a Dinos team that refused to go away quietly, despite hitting just .173 on the game. However, the pressure of the Cougars proved to be too much to handle as the Dinos ran out of gas near the games conclusion, with MRU winning seven straight points en route to victory.

Friday’s result means both Calgary and MRU are now 5-4 on the young season. The Dinos will once again host the Cougars at the Jack Simpson Gym on Saturday, 6 p.m. Tune in to Canada West TV to watch the action.

-UC-