Dinos face OUA Champion McMaster in return to nationals

CALGARY – The University of Calgary Dinos men’s volleyball team is off to the U SPORTS National Championship this weekend, playing potentially three games in three days in Winnipeg.

The Dinos begin their nationals experience with the opening match of the tournament, taking on OUA champion McMaster at 11:30 a.m. MT.

Calgary’s next match will be Saturday at either 11:30 a.m. again, or at 5 p.m. MT, and will be either another showdown with provincial rival Alberta or a pairing with OUA bronze medallists Queen’s.

Sunday’s slate of three matches gets underway at 10 a.m. MT.

Livestreaming in English is available for free worldwide on CBCSports.ca, CBC Gem and the CBC Sports App, with French digital coverage carried on USPORTS.ca. and TVA Sports.

HOW THE DINOS GOT HERE
The Dinos finished the regular season with a 13-5 record in conference play, good for second place in the Canada West Central Division. That earned them a spot in “Pool C” of this year’s new Canada West playoff format, sending them to the East Division champ Winnipeg to take on the Wesmen, as well as Manitoba and UBC Okanagan. The Dinos went 2-1 against that grouping, finishing second in their pool to advance as one of the final six teams still competing Canada West. From there, the Dinos were sent to Langley, B.C. for a three-team pool hosted by Trinity Western. By winning their opener against Saskatchewan on Friday, Calgary clinched a Final Four berth before their showdown against the host Spartans. It was back to Langley one week later as TWU hosted this year’s CW Final Four. Calgary dropped an incredibly tight rematch with rival Alberta before emphatically moving past Brandon to claim Canada West Bronze and a berth to this year’s national stage.

POST-SEASON HISTORY
Calgary is making its 21st trip to Nationals since 1982 and it’s first since 2014. The Dinos have won four national championships in program history, with the first dating back to 1982, followed by 1989, 1993, and 2010.

SCOUTING REPORT
McMaster | Friday, 11:30 a.m. MT | Winnipeg, Man.

• The Marauders enter Friday’s matchup with an unblemished record after going 12-0 in this year’s regular season before posting a perfect 3-0 mark to claim the OUA title.
• Several players sit high in the national rankings for the Marauders, led by Wojtek Kraj standing second overall in blocks per set at 1.48. Outside hitter Sam Cooper ranks second in aces per set at 0.88, while setter Robbie Fujisawa is fourth in the nation in assists per set at 9.90.
• This year marks the 17th time in program history McMaster has qualified for nationals, with this year marking the eighth in a row. The Marauders are still in pursuit of their first U SPORTS title, after finishing as silver medallists in 2013 and 2016.
• Calgary and McMaster have squared off a few times over the years. The two teams met at nationals the last time the Dinos were in it, back on Feb. 27, 2014. That opening match went the way of the Marauders, 3-1.

THE REST OF THE FIELD
Calgary will face off against either Alberta or Queen’s in the second round. Should the Dinos and Golden Bears once again square off, it would mark the eighth time this season going head-to-head with their provincial rivals. The other side of the bracket has reigning champion Trinity Western taking on the hosts and eighth-seeded Manitoba Bisons. In the final opening match of the weekend, it will be No. 4 Toronto taking on No. 5 Sherbrooke.

ALL-STAR STATUS
Canada West announced their annual All-Star honorees last week, with a pair of Dinos being recognized for their efforts on the court this season. Hamish Hazelden was named a First Team All-Star, while Louis Kunstmann was named to the All-Rookie team. Hazelden is one of the senior leaders of this year’s squad and ranks nationally in several categories this season, including kills (third), total points (third), hitting percentage (sixth), digs (seventh) and kills/set (ninth). Meanwhile, Kunstmann has quickly made a name for himself in his first season, leading the team in hitting percentage at .434. Both also play a big role in Calgary being ranked No. 1 in the nation in blocks, with the duo ranking second and third on the team in total blocks.

REGULAR-SEASON REWIND
Despite dealing with the oddities that were the 2021-22 season schedule, the Dinos certainly adapted well and have gotten hot down the stretch. After getting off to a 6-4 start, the Scarlett and Gold dropped just one regular season game since and entered post-season play on a four-game win streak – including a sweep of then-second-ranked Alberta. While Calgary is a well-balanced squad, they are undoubtedly led by senior Hamish Hazelden. The Australian product ranks third in all of Canada this season with 268 total kills on the year. The Dinos defence at the net has also been a huge part of the team’s success, as they rank No. 1 in U SPORTS in total blocks (193) and blocks per set (2.92). A big part of that net success has been the play of third-year Lincoln Baines, who ranks tops in the country with 1.52 blocks per set.