Dogs Win Three Straight Sets, Down Dinos 3-1

CALGARY, Alta. – Recovering from a lopsided opening set, the Saskatchewan Huskies rallied to defeat the University of Calgary Dinos women’s volleyball team 3-1 (25-11, 22-25, 22-25, 15-25) on Friday evening in the Jack Simpson Gym.

In their first game out of the holiday break, the Dinos were unstoppable in all facets in the first set. From there, though, the Huskies found their footing, and after a couple of tight victories in the second and third sets, the road team cruised and closed out the match in four.

With the win, Saskatchewan improves their record to 4-7, while Calgary slips to 3-8.

The Dinos recorded a .667 hitting percentage in the first set, and some fine work at the service line allowed them to establish a commanding lead early. The Huskies made a number of substitutions to try and shake up Calgary’s run, but nothing could stop the home side as they won by 14.

Calgary carried the momentum into the early stages of the second set, but the match swung with the Dinos leading 15-12. Blocks by Norah Matthews and service aces from Taryn Hannah helped orchestrate a 7-0 run for Saskatchewan. The Dinos struggled to regain their form, and the Huskies completed the set with a balanced attack, winning the second 25-22.

The Huskie offence found its rhythm in the final two sets, hitting .343 in the third and .500 in the fourth.

The connection between Anya Fehr and Sophia Hansen had Calgary within striking distance late in the third set before Ella Milne stepped up for Saskatchewan and led them to another three-point win.

Tied 3-3 in the fourth, the Huskies strung together seven consecutive points for the second time in the night and never looked back. A 7-2 Saskatchewan run closed out the contest.

Hannah led the way for Saskatchewan with 14 kills, posting a .393 hitting percentage and 11 digs. Milne was also a key contributor with 10 kills.

The Dinos’ outside threats of Hansen and Daisy Olsen posted 14 and 11 kills each.

The Dinos and Huskies rematch on Saturday in the Jack Simpson Gym with a 5:30 start.