CALGARY – The University of Calgary Dinos women’s volleyball team secured their sixth consecutive win in a thrilling five-set match (18-25, 25-20, 13-25, 25-13, 15-13) against the Thompson Rivers WolfPack on Saturday evening at the Jack Simpson Gym.
The Dinos will now enter the holiday break in third place in the Canada West standings with a 9-3 record, while the WolfPack find themselves in a battle for playoff positioning at 5-7.
“This win feels great, ending the first semester with two wins and a six-game streak feels good,” said Dinos team captain Stella Rains. “The last few games have been a rollercoaster, but I think everyone has shown a lot of resilience. We have a deep bench that is always adding positive influence.
“We’re going to keep pushing ourselves, we’re going to face some tough teams next semester and it’s not a time to let up whatsoever. When you start winning, teams really start coming in and wanting to beat you. We’re going to keep working hard and improving.”
The Wolfpack came out swinging in this first set and took the first six points off the Dinos. Abby Spratt served six consecutive balls and secured two service aces. The set consisted of 11 kills by the WolfPack and concluded with a kill by Sasha Haldane to take the set 25-18.
The Dinos responded by taking the second set 25-20, but hitting still favoured the visitors, with Thompson Rivers outhitting Calgary .250 to .216.
In set three, the WolfPack strung together a 6-0 run to take the score from 8-6 to 14-6, and later a five-point run to end the set at 25-13. Brooklyn Olfert, capped off the set with a sharp kill – one of 15 she had on the night.
The Dinos came back hungry and fed off the WolfPack’s mistakes as they flipped the script with their own 25-13 set victory in the fourth. It was by far Calgary’s best performance of the night as they hit at a .600 efficiency, while Thompson Rivers registered seven attack errors. With two four-point runs, the Dinos put the WolfPack on their heels and stole the final point with a kill from Sammi Boag.
In the fifth and final set, the WolfPack kept it close, but the Dinos would persevere as they ended the game 15-13. Boag once again took the winning point for Calgary.
Following the holiday break, the Dinos travel to Abbotsford to face off against the Fraser Valley Cascades, Jan. 6-7.
The WolfPack begin the new year at home when they face the Regina Cougars.
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