CALGARY – In yet another extremely tight match between two of the better programs in Canada West, the Saskatchewan Huskies just squeezed out a 3-2 win in a marathon of a match over the Calgary Dinos Saturday evening in the Jack Simpson Gym.
It was yet another match that went down to the wire between the Dinos and Huskies, with this one being separated by a mere two points overall, 21-25, 25-20, 25-0, 19-25, 19-17.
Louis Kunstmann led the way for the Dinos attack on the night, finishing with a game-high 24 kills while hitting .354. Erik Godwin racked up 17 kills on .406 hitting, while Austin Ellchuk added a season-high 10 kills.
Emmett Graham tallied a team-high 23 kills to go with five digs and four blocks in the win for the Huskies. Isaiah Mamer hammered home 20 kills and Jefferson Morrow added another 14.
Noah Opseth had a double-double on the night with a game-high 55 assists to go with 13 digs.
Saskatchewan moves into fourth place in Canada West at 14-6, while the Dinos remain in 10th place at 7-13 with four games remaining.
In the first set, neither team was able to create much separation, as things stayed within three points until the finish. However, a three-point run containing kills from Godwin and Jackson Meier was all the Dinos needed to secure the first set.
It was a completely different story in the second set as the Huskies ran with an explosive six-point run to build a 19-11 lead. The Dinos fought hard to come back with impressive kills from Zach Evans and Kunstmann, but ultimately the Huskies secured the set win with a final kill from Morrow to land the Huskies the set win and tie the match.
In the third set, the Huskies were riding high from their previous set win and carried that momentum into the set with another six-point lead on the Dinos at 12-6. The Dinos stayed in the game and narrowed the gap at 16-13. However, a final kill from Graham sealed the deal for the Huskies with a final set score of 25-20 to have one up over the Dinos, 2-1.
In the fourth set, the Dinos got to work and with the help of a five-point run for a big early lead at 11-4. The Dinos widened that gap to nine at 16-7 and although the Huskies fought hard, they could not catch up to the Dinos who closed the set out with a 25-19 set win to tie things up.
In the fifth and final set, the Dinos started off strong with an early lead but the Huskies caught up and tied things up at 15-15. With intense and strategic plays from both teams to tie the set up again at 16-16 and 17-17, the Huskies were able to do just enough to take the final set with a final kill from Mamer to finish off the weekend sweep for Saskatchewan.
It’s back on the road for the Dinos as they head to Winnipeg next weekend for two matches against the Wesmen.
The Huskies next series is against the UBC Thunderbirds at home next weekend.