CALGARY — The University of Calgary Dinos men’s volleyball team continued their dominant play with another 3-1 victory over the Mount Royal University Cougars on Saturday afternoon from inside the Jack Simpson Gym. After taking Friday’s opener, the Dinos built on their momentum and nearly earned a straight-sets win before finishing things off emphatically in the fourth, 25-21, 25-22, 22-25, 25-16 over their city rivals.
In the opener, Luke Nodwell hammered home the first kill of the match off MRU’s serve, setting the tone for Calgary’s offense. The Dinos quickly found their rhythm, with Erik Godwin delivering a solid down-the-line kill at 18-15 to give Calgary the edge. Despite some strong play from MRU, the Dinos held their lead and closed out the set 25-21.
The second set was a back-and-forth battle, with neither team able to find consistent control. Hitting percentages were nearly identical, with both teams finishing right around .250. After a few missed opportunities from both sides, the Dinos managed to pull ahead with a late surge. With a perfect setup from Zack Durrant, Jackson Meier closed out the set with a powerful kill, giving Calgary a 25-22 win.
MRU fought back in set three, refusing to go down without a fight. Louis Kunstmann helped Calgary build a 13-10 lead, but MRU capitalized on the Dinos’ mistakes, extending rallies and forcing errors, taking the set 25-22 and extending the match.
With the match still in reach, the Dinos came out in set four with renewed focus and intensity. Calgary hit an impressive .321 in the final set, tallying nine kills compared to MRU’s four. Luke Nodwell was a defensive standout, contributing seven blocks to stifle the Cougar’s attack. MRU had no answer for Calgary’s offensive and defensive pressure, and the Dinos sealed the set and the match with four straight blocks to close things out and claim the 3-1 victory.
Erik Godwin led the Dinos with 13 kills, showing his attacking ability from all areas of the court. Kunstmann was named player of the game for Calgary for his steady all-around performance.
Jovan Stepanovic led the way for Mount Royal with 13 kills on .458 hitting to go with a pair of blocks.
Both teams are off next weekend and return to the court Nov. 22. For Mount Royal, they will host UBC that weekend, while the Dinos will head north to take on Alberta.
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