Dinos win in three on opening night

CALGARY – The University of Calgary Dinos men’s volleyball team hit the ground running to start the 2021 season, defeating the Mount Royal University Cougars 3-0 (25-21, 25-14, 25-22) on Friday night at the Jack Simpson Gym.

Hamish Hazelden, who finished the night with 12 kills, kept things in perspective after the team’s impressive performance in Game 1.

“It’s easy to have fun when you’re ahead … we were ahead for most of the game. We were a little crisper than them tonight. It’s easy to have fun when you’re in a good position, the real challenge is if we can do the same thing when we’re behind.”

The first set was a back-and-forth battle with both teams performing well out the gate. Near the end of the first set, the Dinos were able to pull away thanks to clutch kills by Hazelden and the first-year middle from Germany, Louis Kunstmann. Although the Cougars started strong they could not maintain their initial hitting efficiency and the Dinos prevailed in a tightly contested first set 25-21.

The Dinos were able to build off their initial success in the first half and easily took the second set 25-14. Big plays made by Liam Kuppe and Lincoln Baines ignited the crowd and the Dinos fed off the energy and carried it with them into the third set.

The Cougars however would not go down without a fight. After falling down early in the third set 19-10, the Cougars roared back with powerful kills by Chris Byam and Max Haronga. Despite their best efforts Mount Royal quickly found themselves in a game point situation down 24-19. The Cougars rallied and made it 24-22, however, it was Hazelden and the Dinos who would have the final say. Hazelden ended the Cougars’ comeback with an impressive kill.

The Dinos will host the Cougars again on Saturday night with a 5 p.m. start at the Jack Simpson Gym. The game can be seen live on CanadaWest.tv, presented by co-op.