CALGARY – In a match that was decided by just seven total points, the Saskatchewan Huskies nipped the University of Calgary Dinos men’s volleyball team in a painfully close 3-0 loss that saw the final two frames both go to extras Friday night at the Jack Simpson Gym.
In a match where the two teams were separated by two points or less the vast majority of the way, the Huskies did just enough down the stretch to earn the sweep, 25-22, 27-25, 26-24.
Saskatchwean moves into a tie for fourth place in Canada West with the win at 13-6. Meanwhile, the loss is a tough one for the Dinos, who remain in 10th place at 7-12 with five games left to play.
Louis Kunstmann led the total kill count for the Dinos with a total of 14 while hitting .444 for the match. Zach Evans was right behind him with nine kills, four blocks and five digs.
The Huskies’ Isaiah Mamer led the pack with 17 kills and 5 digs, with Jefferson Morrow right on his tail with 15 kills and a game-high 11 digs.
The Huskies started the first set off strong and were able to play with a lead the majority of the way. A 5-0 Calgary run midway through gave the Dinos a 13-12 lead, but Saskatchewan went back ahead 16-14 on a kill by Jacob Baird. The Huskies were able to escape with a final kill from Emmett Graham to end the set off at 25-22.
It was a similar story in the second, as the Huskies jumped out to a quick 9-5 edge after a kill by Mamer. Things stayed close until late when the Dinos went on a 4-0 run and took a 23-22 lead after a big swing from Erik Godwin. The set headed into extras where the Huskies found a way to find back-to-back points and take the 2-0 advantage.
In the third set, the crowd was on the edge of their seats with tied scores at 13-13, 16-16, 23-23, and at 24-24. Despite Calgary out-hitting Saskatchewan .333-.270 for the frame, the Huskies claimed both the set and match win with a final set score of 26-24.
The Dinos finished the night with a 9-5 edge in blocks and had 10 less errors on the night at 21-11, but the Huskies finished with a 52-36 advantage in kills.
The two teams will finish off the weekend set Saturday at 6 p.m.