Dinos return to Langley for CW Final Four

CALGARY – The University of Calgary Dinos men’s volleyball team is headed to the Canada West Final Four this weekend, hosted by the Trinity Western Spartans in Langley B.C.

The action gets underway Friday with a Battle of Alberta rubber match, pitting the Dinos against the Alberta Golden Bears with the first serve scheduled for 9 p.m. MT from inside the Langley Events Centre. Calgary will then advance to either the gold or bronze-medal game against either TWU or the Brandon Bobcats on Saturday.

The entirety of the Final Four is scheduled to be streamed live on Canada West TV, presented by Co-Op.

HOW WE 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 playoff format, sending them to 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 in 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. Despite battling and keeping things close – the Dinos couldn’t pull off the upset over the No. 1 team in the country, meaning TWU won its group and the right to host this year’s Final Four.

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 have dropped just one game since and entered postseason 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.

SCOUTING REPORT
ALBERTA | Friday, 9 p.m. MT | Langley, B.C.

• The Golden Bears finished the regular season with a 15-3 record – with all three losses coming at the hands of the Dinos.
• Calgary and Alberta split the season series this year, with each team winning three games. The Golden Bears swept the Dinos in three in back-to-back matches back in November before each team posted a 3-1 win in Calgary in early January. The Dinos then recorded a pair of 3-1 wins over its inter-provincial rivals in late February.
• Alberta’s top two schools have met plenty of times before in the post-season. The Golden Bears won the most recent matchup – a best-of-three series back in 2018. Since 2000, the two schools have gone head-to-head 13 times in the playoffs, with Calgary just being edged out, 7-6, in those showdowns.

TRINITY WESTERN/BRANDON

• The other side of the bracket sees the last two Canada West Champions pitted against each other in Trinity Western and Brandon. The Spartans finished the regular season 15-1 in Canada West’s West Division, while the Bobcats were 9-9 in the East.
• Should the Dinos square off against TWU, they will look to reverse a trend of 11 wins in a row by the Spartans in the head-to-head series. Calgary’s last win in the series came back in the 2016 postseason.
• Meanwhile, Calgary and Brandon have a very even history dating backwards. The two teams split their home series two years ago and have met in each of the past two postseasons, with the Bobcats coming out on top of both of those series.

QUOTABLE
“I think our program is really excited for the opportunity to compete at a Final Four. It’s been a little while since we’ve been there. The athletes have worked hard and they’re excited for the opportunity to compete and earn a spot to go to the national championships.” – Dinos head coach Rod Durrant.

UP NEXT
This year’s U SPORTS Men’s Volleyball Championship is hosted by Manitoba and is scheduled for next weekend, March 25-27. The field will be determined by this week’s conference championships across Canada.