CALGARY – It’s back to the final four for the University of Calgary Dinos men’s volleyball team as they head to Trinity Western for a best-of-three Canada West Semifinal, starting Thursday.
The action gets underway from the Langley Events Centre at 9 p.m. MT on Thursday, with Friday’s first serve scheduled for 9:30 p.m. MT. If Saturday’s game is needed, it has a scheduled 9 p.m. MT start.
All three games can be streamed live on Canada West TV.
FIVE THINGS TO KNOW
1. LAST TIME OUT – The No. 7 seeded Dinos got to stay in town for their postseason opener last weekend, making the short drive to crosstown rival No. 2 Mount Royal. Calgary came out on fire in Friday’s opener with a convincing three-set sweep. The Cougars rallied to start Game 2, only to see the Dinos come roaring back for a 3-2 win to complete the sweep at Kenyon Court.
2. HEATING UP – Calgary has picked a good time to really hit their stride and get things rolling, as they have now won 11 of their last 15 overall heading into this week’s action. During this impressive run, the Dinos have turned in four wins in straight sets and have collected seven wins over postseason teams (Brandon, UBC x2, Manitoba x2, Mount Royal x2).
3. FINAL FOUR DÉJÀ VU – This season marks the second in a row that Calgary will descend upon the Langley Events Centre for the Canada West Semifinal. A season ago, the Dinos travelled to B.C.’s lower mainland to take on Alberta in a one-game semifinal, falling to the eventual national champs with a mere four points separating the two teams that day. One day later, Calgary claimed the bronze medal to punch their ticket to nationals.
4. EARLY SEASON REMATCH – Calgary will once again have a little revenge on their mind as they head into this weekend’s postseason matchup. The Dinos and Spartans faced off in week two of this year’s regular season back in early November, with TWU claiming both matches. In fact, the Dinos will be looking for their first win over Trinity Western in 15 tries dating back to a Feb. 26, 2016, postseason game in Calgary.
5. POSTSEASON HONOURS – Canada West announced this year’s All-Stars earlier this week, with a pair of Dinos being voted among the league’s best. Lincoln Baines was named a Second-Team All-Star after racking up 132 kills, and 87 total blocks while carrying a .338 attack percentage on the year – eighth-best in the conference. Meanwhile, Zack Durrant earned a spot on this year’s All-Rookie Team. After starting the season at libero, the newcomer stepped in at setter after a number of injuries at the position and quickly made the role his own. Durrant has a team-high 513 assists to go with 128 digs, 17 service aces and 16 total blocks on the year.
-UC-
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