Brian Swane, Special to Canada West 

EDMONTON – The Calgary Dinos women’s volleyball team went 13 years between conference titles, the most prolonged stretch in program history.

Now, after celebrating with the Women’s Intervarsity Volleyball Trophy one year ago, even 13 months probably seems too long of a wait.

But as far as the Trinity Western Spartans are concerned, the Dinos might have to be a bit more patient.

The defending champion Dinos host the Spartans in the Canada West women’s volleyball championship game, Friday at 6p.m. MST at Jack Simpson Gym.

The game can be seen live on Canada West TV.

Calgary aims to go back-to-back for the first time since 2001 and 2002, while TWU, the most recent program to capture consecutive Canada West titles, in 2015 and 2016, is seeking to reclaim its throne.

The Dinos and Spartans were neck-and-neck throughout the 2018-19 season, ultimately finishing with identical 19-5 records at the top of the Canada West standings. They’ve since matched each other, win for win, in the playoffs, soaring through the best-of-three quarter-final and semifinal rounds without losing a game.

TWU earned a pair of hard-fought victories over the Dinos during the first half of the season in Langley, having to rally after dropping the first set in each of the games. For this winner-takes-all contest, the action has shifted to Calgary, where the host team is a combined 15-1 combined this season. The Spartans, for their part, won 10 of 12 on the road in 2018-19.

Calgary is led by its duo of 2018-19 Canada West First Team All-Stars, outside hitter Kate Pexman and middle Beth Vinnell, who are both fourth-years. The Spartans also feature a First Team All-Star in third-year outside hitter Hillary Howe, a Calgary native.

The finalists attack with mutual precision, Calgary ranking first among all Canada West teams this season with a 2.49 hitting percentage, just ahead of the Spartans, who had a rate of .234.

This is the last stop on the road to the 2019 U SPORTS Women’s Volleyball Championship, March 15-17 in Edmonton, where eight teams from across the country will go for gold at the Saville Community Sports Centre. Calgary and TWU will join the host Alberta Pandas as Canada West representatives looking to bring the conference its 11th national title in the last 13 seasons.

How they got here: 

• Defeated Manitobs 2-0 in best-of-three Canada West quarter-final
• Defeated UBC 2-0 in best-of-three Canada West semifinal

Canada West championships: 1982, 1983, 1985, 1994, 2001, 2002, 2005, 2018

U Sports championships: 1970, 1989, 1994, 2004

Regular season leaders: 

• Kills – Kate Pexman (3.47 k/s)
• Digs – Kennedy Snape (4.34 d/s)
• Blocks – Autumn Davidson (1.05 b/s)
• Service aces – Kate Pexman (0.45 sa/s)
• Assists – Leah Shevkenek (8.91 a/s)

How they got here: 

• Defeated Mount Royal 2-0 in best-of-three Canada West quarter-final
• Defeated Alberta 2-0 in best-of-three Canada West semifinal

Canada West championships: 2015, 2016

U Sports championships: 2015

Regular season leaders: 

• Kills – Hillary Howe (3.24 k/s)
• Digs – Emma Gamache (3.49 d/s)
• Blocks – Mikaelyn Sych (1.33 b/s)
• Service aces – Avery Heppell (0.45 sa/s)
• Assists – Brie O’Reilly (9.22 a/s)