Olivia Krol, Dinos Communications
CALGARY – The University of Calgary Dinos women's volleyball team secured another victory against Brandon Bobcats as they earned a 3-1 decision (25-20, 25-19, 23-25, 25-20) to extend their win streak on Saturday evening at the Jack Simpson Gym.
The Bobcats saw their record drop to 7-7 in Canada West play, while the Dinos improved to 12-2 overall with wins in their last eight games.
Kate Pexman led the Dinos offensive efforts with 19 kills, followed by Laura McManes and Jaylynn Moffatt, who tallied 13 and nine kills, respectively. Leah Shevkenek recorded 35 assists, while Kennedy Snape paced Calgary's defence with a total of 14 digs.
For the Bobcats, Nikala Majewski and Michelle Egger recorded a notable 13 kills each, followed by Rayvn Wiebe, who added 12 kills. On the defensive side, Mary Thomson recorded a match-high 15 digs and impressed by adding seven kills.
In the first set, the Bobcats utilized an early scoring run to open the match with a 6-3 lead over Calgary, which soon transformed into an 8-4 advantage off a kill by Wiebe. The Dinos were able to cut Brandon's lead to two with help from a kill by Shevkenek, making the game 9-6. The Bobcats clung to their advantage until 13-13, when a kill by McManes evened the score, and allowed the Dinos to gain momentum. Calgary jumped ahead with kills from Pexman, Shevkenek and McManes, but it was ultimately an attack error by Majewski that helped secure the Dinos 25-20 decision in set one.
In the second set, Calgary started off well, with McManes managing two kills in a row, grabbing a 4-2 advantage. McManes continued to dominate the set, cashing in her ninth kill at 18-12. The Bobcats answered back with kills from Egger and Wiebe, but the team was ultimately unable to catch up with their opponent. The Dinos maintained a five-point advantage throughout the majority of the set, notching leads of 20-15, 22-17, and 24-19. It was another error by Brandon that put Calgary ahead, and secured the set, 25-19.
After trailing early in the third set by as much as five, the Dinos continued to chip away at Brandon's lead, catching up at 5-5. Brandon instantly answered with kills from Majewski and Egger, but the back-and-forth play continued all throughout the set, as the teams found themselves locked point-for-point. Pexman made it 12-12, and a kill from Solberg saw the score turn to 15-15. Though play was even at 22-22, it was Egger that connected on a kill to give the Bobcats life as they went on to secure a 25-23 set win.
"I think Brandon set their right side a lot - they were able to get a bunch of kills against us, as we had a lot of trouble blocking," commented Dinos head coach Natalie Gurnsey on the third set. "We were teetering a bit in the third; we weren't as engaged or mentally prepared to compete at this level, which I think resulted in a tough set."
The third set loss was the Dinos' first since November, and just their sixth set defeat during their eight-game win streak.
"I think we have some pretty high goals this year, and for us to achieve these goals, we need to have a winning record. In lots of ways, records like this reflect our game plan and goals for this season," reflected Gurnsey.
The Dinos weren't threatened by the Bobcats third-set surge though, as they started the following set off with a kill by Vinnell. At 4-4, Calgary's offence was able to truly get into a rhythm. Despite many attempts, the Bobcats were unable to equalize, and the Dinos succeeded in building a comfortable edge over their rival. Pexman once again showed-off some fancy footwork as she kept the ball in play and made it 22-17, while a kill by Moffatt ended the set, 25-20.
Dinos head to Edmonton to face-off against the Alberta Pandas next weekend, while the Bobcats will remain on the road and battle the UBC Okanagan Heat.