CALGARY - A very tight five-set game saw the Dinos take their second straight victory over the No. 4 Winnipeg Wesmen on January 17 at the Jack Simpson Gymnasium.
The Dinos finish the weekend with a record of 8-12 as the Wesmen fall to 12-6.
Keith West had a huge game for the Dinos, recording a game high of 19 kills. Brendan Visser also had a strong performance with 11 kills, as did Connor Frehlich who put up 10 kills and six digs. Jackson Maris had a game high of 51 assists along with nine digs.
The Wesmen, who were without head coach Larry McKay due to his actions from the night before and fifth year power hitter Thomas Douglas-Powell who left the previous game with an ankle injury, were led by Taylor Howe's 14 kills and eight digs. Brendan Thielmann and Brendan Black both hit double digits in kills with 12 and 10 respectively.
The first set was led by Winnipeg early on, as Calgary was forced to use a timeout down 12-7. The Dinos slowly worked their way back into it as they eventually took their first lead of the set at 20-19. The two teams were tied up to 22 before Calgary pulled away, taking the first set by a score of 25-23.
The two teams exchanged points to start the second set until the Wesmen took a slight advantage midway through the frame at 16-13. The Dinos managed to tie it up with a three point serving run from Frehlich and they remained close through the rest of the set, but Winnipeg won the battle 25-23 to tie the game.
The third set was dominated by the Dinos who came out to an early 10-6 lead. The Wesmen pulled to within one at 11-10, but Calgary played some good defence to give themselves a comfortable five point lead. Despite a comeback effort from the Wesmen, the Dinos closed out the set at 25-17.
Winnipeg answered back in the fourth set, taking a 6-3 lead, but a big kill from West followed by a block from Sean Martin brought Calgary back within one. The Dinos kept it close through the middle of the set, but they struggled to maintain consistent offence and were unable to take the lead from the Wesmen. Winnipeg sustained their advantage and took the set 25-20, forcing a fifth set to break the tie.
Two big kills right off the bat from Frehlich and Visser put the Dinos up 2-0. The Wesmen battled back with a four point run, which Calgary responded to with a four point run of their own to regain the lead 6-4. The two teams were tied up at 8 when a three point serving run from Sean Tuff put Calgary ahead by a score of 11-8. The Wesmen were unable to recover, as the Dinos won the set 15-11.
The Dinos look to keep their playoff hopes alive as they travel to Edmonton next weekend to take on the MacEwan Griffins January 23-24, while Winnipeg heads home to take on Brandon.