CALGARY – The University of Calgary men’s volleyball team battled hard against the Trinity Western University Spartans on Friday, but came up just short in a 3-2 (25-23, 17-25, 25-21, 22-25, 11-15) loss to open the weekend series inside the Jack Simpson Gym.
The Dinos (5-10) stayed close to the Spartans (10-5) throughout, with Tyler Funk delivering a strong serve receive and making key plays that helped Calgary maintain control in the first set. The Dinos were the first to reach 20 points, but Trinity Western quickly responded, narrowing the gap. In a tense final stretch, Calgary held a slim 24-23 lead before Jackson Meier sealed the set with a decisive kill. The Dinos posted a .333 hitting percentage in the set, while holding TWU to just a .217 clip.
Trinity Western came back strong in the second set, claiming a 25-17 win thanks to a dominant offensive performance. U SPORTS Men’s Volleyball Player of the Week, Kaden Schmidt, had an impressive run of four points in a row early, with three coming via serve. The Spartans hit an impressive .478 hitting percentage in the set, limiting the Dinos to just .292.
During the third set, the energy in the Jack Simpson Gym grew as the Dinos bounced back with a 25-21 victory. Despite Trinity Western having 28 attack attempts to Calgary’s 21, the Dinos capitalized on key moments. Meier delivered a clutch ace to put Calgary ahead 19-13. Zack Durrant set up Meier for the match-point kill that secured the set, giving Calgary the upper hand, 2-1.
In a thrilling back-and-forth fourth set, the Spartans responded with a 25-22 win. The set remained tight early on, with the score tied at 7-7. Czepuryk and Meier kept the Dinos in contention with solid blocking. After three successful serves, a kill by Piers De Greef put Kunstmann out of serving in the rotation. The Spartans seized several critical opportunities and held their lead to seal the deal, tying the match at 2-2.
The match came down to the fifth set, where Trinity Western jumped out to a quick 4-2 edge and never trailed the rest of the way. The visitors hit an impressive .538 in the final frame.
Looking at the box score, Meier was especially effective, posting a remarkable .846 hitting percentage for Calgary, finishing the night with 12 kills on just 13 swings. The Spartans’ De Greef finished the match with a career-high 27 kills to lead all players.
Both teams will be back in action tomorrow at 4:00 p.m. in the Jack Simpson Gym for the Dinos’ senior night.
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