CALGARY – Led by a 22-kill effort by Chris Byam, the Mount Royal Cougars completed a weekend sweep of the University of Calgary Dinos men’s volleyball team with a 3-1 decision (25-18, 25-22, 22-25, 25-23) on Saturday night at the Jack Simpson Gym.
In a rematch of last year’s Canada West quarter-final matchup that saw the Dinos upset the Cougars in two games, Mount Royal got some revenge on their crosstown rival with a pair of victories on their home floor.
Apart from Byam’s big evening, Mount Royal got 12 kills from Jacob Van Geel, who also contributed at the net with seven total blocks.
The Cougars now have a 6-4 record, while the Dinos fall to 5-5.
Neither side got off to an efficient start offensively. The Dinos dropped the opening set 25-18 while hitting -.033 with 10 attack errors. Calgary saw improvements in the second, but with Mount Royal leading by four mid-way through the set, Dinos head coach Rod Durrant made a lineup change that seemed to energize his squad.
Zach Evans came into the match and had one of the best games of his career, finishing with 17 kills and a potent .394 hitting.
“When you don’t start the game, you got to go out there, have fun, and do the best you can do. I knew the boys needed me so I did what I could to help get them out of a rut,” said Evans, who made an immediate impact with long-time teammate and setter Zack Durrant. “He did an excellent job. We have been playing volleyball together for years now and have some chemistry.”
The Cougars managed to close out the second set 25-22 before the Dinos rebounded with a 25-22 win of their own in the third.
The fourth set came down to the wire. A kill, followed by an ace by Evans evened the score at 23, but Byam countered with back-to-back points to close out the match for Mount Royal, 25-23.
“We have got to learn to come out of the gates fighting,” explained Evans. “Sometimes we have a bit of a late start and it is a little frustrating, but we have to find a way to keep our fight going.”
The Dinos finish the first half of the season next weekend when they travel to Vancouver to face the UBC Thunderbirds from Dec. 1-2.
Mount Royal will host the MacEwan Griffins next weekend, Dec. 1-2.
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