Dinos topple WolfPack in five set showdown

CALGARY – The Thompson Rivers WolfPack women’s volleyball team pushed the No. 8 ranked Calgary Dinos to the limit but couldn’t secure the win in a 3-2 (18-25, 25-20, 13-25, 25-13, 15-13) loss 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.
 
“I’m really proud of the way we battled, we were down one of our most important players (Ema Palkovicova) due to injury, but we fought until the end,” said WolfPack head coach Behlul Yavasgel. “It came down to the wire and Calgary came out on top but I’m proud of the way we played as a team.”
 
Erin Mutch and Brooklyn Olfert each had 15 kills for the ‘Pack with Sasha Haldane adding 12. Returning to her hometown of Calgary Abby Spratt was on fire for TRU with 41 assists, five aces and seven digs.
 
“Abby Spratt had a fantastic game and Erin and Brooklyn did a great job,” said Yavasgel. “The players that came in like Sasha Haldane and Kate Lamothe were strong off the bench.”

The WolfPack came out swinging in this first set and took the first six points off the Dinos. 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 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. 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. 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.

The WolfPack begin the new year at home when they face the Regina Cougars. Holding a record of 5-7, TRU finds themselves two games back of the eighth and final playoff spot.