CALGARY – The UBC Okanagan Heat completed a weekend sweep of the University of Calgary Dinos men’s volleyball team, winning 3-0 (22-25, 17-25, 16-25) on Saturday evening at Jack Simpson Gymnasium.
The loss drops Calgary to 0-4 in Canada West play, while UBCO improves to 3-1.
“My thoughts were that we’ve got a lot to work on,” said Dinos head coach Graham Vigrass. “We need to figure out who we are a little bit and what Dinos volleyball means to each of us. I wasn’t convinced that we were here to compete this weekend.”
The Heat’s block set the tone early. UBCO stuffed Calgary seven times in the opening set, with Thys Weststrate in on six of those blocks, and built a 15-9 lead. The Dinos answered with their best stretch of the night, winning five of the next six points on aces from Sean Vanderzee and Cole Czepuryk and a block from Max Grantham and Marshall Qually to pull within 16-14. A Luke Nodwell and Matthew Brown block later made it 24-22, but Weststrate closed out the set with a kill.
“It was a great showing from UBCO. They came out very strong and we needed a stronger response tonight,” said Luke Nodwell, the Dinos’ captain.
The second set was back and forth early, with six ties and four lead changes. Calgary led 5-4, but the Heat broke away from a 6-6 tie, and Xander van Driel put down three straight kills to stretch a 14-12 lead to 17-12. UBCO closed it out 25-17.
The Heat held the lead throughout the third set, scoring four straight points to go up 17-10 and won 25-16.
Czepuryk led Calgary with eight kills and six digs, and Nodwell hit .400 with four kills and three blocks. For the Heat, van Driel had 12 kills, Weststrate added six kills on .500 hitting with seven blocks and nine digs, and Dominic Sodaro had 28 assists.
Nodwell said the focus this week is on getting more reps in the gym, locking down serve receives and becoming stronger servers.
“It’s a long season and there are always blips in the road, but we need to be focused on the bigger picture and where we want to be at the end of it,” he said.
The Dinos will return to action Friday, Nov. 13 when they host the Mount Royal University Cougars at 5:30 p.m. at Jack Simpson Gymnasium.
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