CALGARY – The University of Calgary Dinos found themselves in a good position with a 2-1 lead heading into the fourth, but they were unable to hang on for the victory as the No. 1 University of Alberta Golden Bears took a 3-2 match victory (25-23, 22-25, 23-25, 25-19, 15-9) Friday night in the Jack Simpson Gym.

After taking a tight 25-23 win in the third set, the Dinos couldn't match the intensity of the defending national champions down the stretch and saw their hitting percentage plummet: from a high of 41 per cent in the first, Calgary fell to just .048 in the fourth and into negative territory at -.048 in the fifth.

Calgary falls to 3-4 on the season, while Alberta remains perfect at 7-0.

Alberta's Kevin Proudfoot was a key reason for the Bears' success in the late stages of the match, with many of his 13 kills coming at key moments in the final two sets. Defensively, he led the way for Alberta with a dozen digs as well, and he finished tied with John Goranson for second on the team's offensive leaderboard with a baker's dozen kills.

While Proudfoot contributed late, it was Ryley Barnes who scored early and often for Alberta. Barnes picked up an impressive 23 kills on 45 attempts, hitting 40 per cent on the night while adding a trio of aces, eight digs, and four blocks. Barnes was lights-out in the first set for Alberta, picking up nine kills in the opening stanza alone.

Calgary, on the other hand, struggled to maintain a consistent level of play, and errors mounted as the match wore on. In the fifth set the Dinos recorded six errors, four of which were into a strong Alberta block. The tandem of Keith West and Braden O'Toole personified the Dinos' struggles on the night: both had stretches of impressive consistency and ball placement, while late in the match their errors piled up. West finished as the Dinos' kill leader with 15 to go with 11 errors, while O'Toole picked up 15 kills and 10 errors on the night.

Connor Frehlich was the other Dino in double digits with his 11 kills, while setter Jackson Maris added a team-high 10 digs to his 42 set assists on the night.

The Dinos and Golden Bears will renew acquaintances to close out their weekend series Saturday night. First serve is slated for 6:30 p.m. MT, live on CanadaWest.tv.

-UC-