EDMONTON – After dropping a pair of closely contested opening sets, the University of Calgary Dinos turned things around in a big way with a 3-2 comeback win over the MacEwan Griffins Friday evening from David Atkinson Gym.
Calgary (4-3) started strong in the first two sets before allowing the Griffins (0-7) to claw their way back for the 2-0 lead before getting back in rhythm late for the 24-26, 22-25, 25-21, 25-13, 15-12 win.
A pair of Dinos finished with double-doubles on the night, as rookie Daisy Olsen led all players with 15 kills on the night to go with a career-high 10 digs. Olsen was also credited with three solo blocks on the night to lead the defensive showing at the net. Second-year Carolyn Berze also had a strong night with 10 kills to go with 11 digs and a pair of blocks in just four sets of action off the bench.
Sammi Boag just missed making in three Dinos with double-doubles, powering home 12 kills to go with nine digs.
Four players finished with double-digit kills for MacEwan on the night, led by Mariah Bereziuk with 13. Arden Butler added another 10 to go with a game-high 16 digs.
Payton Shimoda ran a nice offence for the Griffins, with 41 assists in the opener.
Calgary jumped out to leads of 6-1 and 10-5 to start Friday’s contest, only to see the home squad battle back. A late kill from Boag would force the opening frame to extras, but MacEwan was able to find the floor on back-to-back plays to take the 1-0 lead.
The Griffins flipped the script in the second, jumping out to a 16-9 edge halfway through, only to see the Dinos show their fight. Mya Sheridan drew her team to within two at 24-22, but a kill by Emma Brooks gave MacEwan a 2-0 lead.
Dinos head coach Christine Biggs changed up the lineup going into the third and saw instant success. One of Sheridan Coninx’s eight kills gave Calgary a 12-5 lead early and they would never look back, finishing things off on a block by Olsen.
It was all Dinos in the fourth. Trailing 4-3, the Scarlet & Gold erupted with a 15-4 run to take complete control, hitting .526 as a team in the frame to push this one to a fifth set.
Knotted up a 11-all, Berze and Coninx notched back-to-back kills to give the Dinos a two-point edge late. After MacEwan drew back to within one, Berze slammed home another kill before the Dinos closed things out for the comeback win.
The two teams are right back at it Saturday, with first serve scheduled for 5:30 p.m. after the conclusion of the men’s match.
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