CALGARY – The University of Calgary Dinos men’s volleyball team closed out their home season in style, hitting an eye-popping .522 for the match in defeating the University of Manitoba Bisons 3-0 (25-20, 25-21, 25-20) to highlight Seniors’ Night and wrapping up their regular season Saturday at the Jack Simpson Gym.
After clinching their Canada West playoff berth Friday, it was all about the seniors on Saturday night as the Dinos close out the regular season with a 12-12 record. Meanwhile, despite the loss, the Bisons claimed the eighth and final playoff spot with a final regular-season record of 9-15.
“Both Lincoln Baines and Liam Kuppe have been great role models and Dinos for the last five years and we are really proud of them and the way they played this year and the way they’ve played in the past,” said Dinos Head Coach Rob Durrant.
Kuppe was a force on the floor putting up 13.5 points for the Dinos including 10 kills and two service aces along with three blocks.
“It is sad to be finishing off here in the Jack, but we are super excited to play next weekend in the playoffs,” said the fifth-year Kuppe who joined the Dinos volleyball program during the 2016-17 season.
Baines made seven kills and three blocks of his own before he registered the game-winning kill in the third set to complete the sweep of the Bisons.
“I was screaming for the ball the whole time and was swinging no matter what,” said Baines about dealing the winning smash in front of his friends and family. “I couldn’t have chosen a better school to come to. The Dinos have been great to me, and I am so thankful for the program.”
Calgary opened the scoring in the first set of the evening with play going back and forth between the two teams until the Dinos managed to open a four-point lead deep into the first at 23-19. After a Manitoba timeout, it was the senior Kuppe who delivered the killing blow to take set one for the Dinos.
In a similar fashion, the second set continued to teeter back and forth between the teams, with the home team eventually breaking into another four-point lead at 19-15 and securing the win from there.
Midway through the third, the Dinos went on a four-point hot streak to break away from the Bisons and never looked back, leading the team from Manitoba for the remainder of the frame with Lincoln Baines impressing in his final showing at the Jack by racking up the final three points for the Dinos with a block and two kills.
Both the Dinos and Bisons will now shift their attention to their Canada West playoff matchups next weekend, where the top eight teams in the conference will meet in four quarterfinal weekend matches, with the victor of each best-of-three series advancing to the semifinals.