Dinos Athletics
CALGARY - After a slow start to the match, the Dinos women's volleyball team rallied together to beat the Grant MacEwan Griffins in four sets on Friday night at Jack Simpson gymnasium (19-25, 25-21, 25-15, 25-22).
The win gives the Dinos a 7-10 record in CIS play. They are currently in ninth place in Canada West but are one of four teams sitting on 14 points. The Griffins are now 4-11 and remain in 11th place in the conference.
With a handful of starters out injured, the Dinos had to rely more on their rookies to pull together the win. First-years Rachel Solecki and Natasha Gordey both played big roles in the Dinos' performance.
"It's not easy for a first-year to come in and try to fill Janna Ogle's shoes. But I think [Solecki] played within herself today and did the job to the best of her abilities." said Dinos head coach Natalie Gurnsey.
Solecki finished the match with eight kills and eight digs. Gordey was vital to the Dinos' defense in her role as libero, registering a team-high 10 digs.
For the Griffins, outside hitter Michelle Bodnarek led the attack with 11 kills. On the defensive side, libero Karly Edgar registered 12 digs.
The match started poorly for the Dinos. The Griffins hitters were getting points with ease and the away side pulled ahead 10-6. The Dinos never had a lead during the first set and went into the first technical time-out down 16-10.
"It was just unforced errors. Tons of unforced errors," said Gurnsey. "And a little lack of confidence. So we settled in, found our stride a little and decreased our unforced errors."
Outside hitter Kate Rozendahl was the Griffins' best attacker in the first interval. She won the set for the Griffins with a powerful spike to the Dinos' back court – her fifth kill of the match.
The Dinos improved in the second set. Gurnsey made some switches in the middle position and the team improved their blocking play immensely.
"We've got some depth in the middle and I thought we needed a switch. Jillian [Lazic] came in and did a really good job," said Gurnsey.
After tying it up at 10, the Dinos then finally got their first lead of the match. Despite going into the technical down by two, the home side ended the set strong, and would win it 25-22.
The Dinos were at their best in the third set, hitting at 0.211 and registering six team blocks. As their performance improved, the team's energy picked up and the Dinos began to extend their lead. Spurred on by their fans, they took the one-sided set 25-15.
Outside hitter Jaylynn Moffatt was the third set's star performer, managing three kills and four crucial blocks. Moffatt would finish with a team-high nine kills and nine blocks.
"I think our momentum was finally building and Grant MacEwan started making more errors," said Gurnsey. "It's easier to build your confidence when that's happening on the other side."
The fourth set was the most even of the match. The Dinos and Griffins traded points back and forth throughout the set. Down 13-11, Griffin's Ken Briggs called a time-out and his team picked up their play. The Griffins looked like they could force a fifth set but the Dinos did enough to win it 25-22. Moffatt showed her class again in the final set, scoring five kills.
The two teams play again on Saturday at 6:00pm. Gurnsey spoke about the importance of earning a sweep against the struggling Edmonton team.
"At this point in the season we need to get a sweep this weekend, so we're going to do whatever it takes to get that," she said.
Scott Strasser, Dinos Communications Assistant