UFV squeaks past Dinos in five

ABBOTSFORD, B.C. – Jonas Van Huizen and Nimo Benne had strong outings to help the UFV Cascades pick up the five-set victory (26-28, 25-22, 25-16, 18-25, 15-8) over the Calgary Dinos on Friday at the UFV Athletic Centre.

The Cascades had a 24-22 lead in the opening set, but Louis Kunstmann picked up three kills, a block and an ace down the stretch to help the Dinos come back to take it 28-26.

Both teams traded shots again in the second, but with a 22-20 lead, UFV would hold on to close out the set 25-22.

UFV took control of the third early on, building a 16-9 advantage before finishing it off 25-16. The Dinos did not go away quietly, as they took a 12-7 lead in the fourth before extending it to 19-12 and closing it out 25-18 to send the game to a fifth frame.

UFV proved to be too much to handle in the decisive set, as they leapt out to leads of 10-4, and 13-5, before ending the match 15-8.

Nimo Benne had a massive performance for the Cascades with game highs in kills (19), aces (6), and points (26.5), while also adding 11 digs in the match.

Van Huizen also showed a strong performance for UFV, notching 44 set assists, three aces, seven kills and six digs in his first game back from an injury.

Kunstmann had a solid game for Calgary, picking up nine kills, three aces, and four blocks in the game, while Erik Godwin posted 10 kills and 10 digs in the effort for his third career double-double.

The Cascades move to 3-10 on the year with the win, while the Dinos drop to 4-9 this season. The two teams will matchup again on Saturday in Abbotsford with both teams looking to pull themselves closer to the final Canada West playoff spot. First serve is scheduled for 8 pm MT, and the game can be seen live on Canada West TV. 
 
-UC-