Calgary — In front of a record crowd at Kenyon Court, the Mount Royal University Cougars claimed a huge 3-1 (25-19, 25-21, 23-25, 25-22) over the visiting University of Calgary Dinos.
After the Dinos won Wednesday's matchup 3-1 over Mount Royal, the Cougars sought redemption and there was no better way to complete the win than in front of a massive home crowd.
The Cougars knew they had to get the big crowd into the game, and with every point, the Cougars faithful grew louder. Early on with the game at 7-5, Mount Royal went took over behind the strength of seven Tyler Schmidt kills. Their strong play continued throughout as they're lead never reached lower than five. Despite a late Dinos push, Mount Royal claimed the first set 25-19. Keith West had five kills to lead U of C.
A key to the game for the Dinos had to be to quiet the crowd, and they did just that, holding a three point lead for much of the first third of the game. However, after a few huge blocks, the Kenyon Court fans clad in white got loud and motivated the home team. Despite four kills from both West and Braden O'Toole for the Dinos, the Cougars won the set 25-21 and took a 2-0 match lead. Jordan Parkin knocked down four kills, while Lachie Pollock and Schmidt had three.
Not wanting to get swept in straight sets, the Dinos had a solid third set and were able to win by two points, 25-23. Their strong finish and precise attacks were the key to extend the match. Grigor Kartev was the standout Cougar in the set, recording four kills and two blocks.
Mount Royal jumped up to an 10-3 lead over the Dinos, but U of C got right back into things and tied things up at 12s. The game would stay close up towards the end, but Grigor Kartev followed up a Lucas King kill to push the Cougars to a 25-22 set win and 3-1 match victory.
Pollock and Schmidt had 17 and 16 kills, respectively, while Kartev added 10 kills and multiple blocks. For U of C, West and O'Toole followed up string performances from Wednesday's win with 15 and 11 kills, respectively.
The Cougars move to 9-7 while the Dinos are now 6-10.
Mount will welcome the University of Manitoba Bisons to town on January 9th and 10th. Of the four remaining opponents for the Cougars, three are currently sitting lower in the standings.