Olivia Krol, Dinos Communications
CALGARY – The No. 4 University of Calgary men's volleyball team (9-4) fell in three sets after a gritty faceoff against the No. 2 Brandon Bobcats (9-3) on Friday night at Jack Simpson Gym. The Bobcats took the contest 28-26, 25-21, and 25-21.
With the result, the Bobcats move out of a tie with the Dinos in the Canada West standings, improving their record to 10-3. Calgary falls to 9-4 with their first setback at home this season.
From the first set, it was evident the contest would be evenly matched as neither team went down without a fight in a back-and-forth affair. Regan Fathers helped the Dinos grab the lead in the first set at 5-2, to which the Bobcats quickly responded. When Mason Metcalf launched a rally, Alex Bader was able to persevere with a stellar block, proving why he tops in Canada West hitting percentage. The teams met at 7-7, and continued back-and-forth play for the majority of the set, with the largest deficits coming at 14-12 and 23-21 in favor of Calgary. After an enforced timeout, the Bobcats looked to be in control while the Dinos lost focus. Seth Friesen capped off the comeback by clinching the set, 28-26.
The Bobcats continued on strong after winning the first set, showcasing confidence while quickly grabbing a 4-2 advantage. From 7-7 onwards it was another tight set, with 24-20 being the biggest lead in favor of the Bobcats. A kill by Elliott Viles secured Brandon's advantage, and moved the match into the third.
The third set was equally close as the first two, with the advantage constantly shifting from the Bobcats to the Dinos. The teams were tied until late when Brandon mounted another late surge. Viles collected his 20th kill of the game to secure the set and win at 25-21.
"We weren't able to execute down the stretch today," said Calgary head coach Rod Durrant when asked about the loss. "At the end of the day we played well until 16 to 20, and we weren't able to finish in a way which would give us points. Credit to them, they had great execution down the stretch, and their best players played extremely well."
Tim Taylor led the Calgary attack tonight, totaling a team high of 12 kills. Alex Bader also had a stellar match for the Dinos, notching a double-double with seven kills and seven digs. Parker Siroishka added eight kills on 11 digs, while Blain Cranston noted three kills and eight digs.
For the Bobcats, Elliott Viles stood out, leading the team with 20 kills and eight digs, while Seth Friesen boasted nine kills and seven digs. James Weir also impressed, notching a total of seven kills.
The Dinos return to action tomorrow, to once again face off against the Bobcats. Kickoff set for 5:30 PM MTD.