Dinos stomp Spartans

By Kevin Rothbauer

At the beginning of the season, the University of Calgary’s new women’s volleyball coach was excited and full of optimism. It was his first season as a university head coach and he was eager to teach his new team what it takes to win at their level. No one thought it would be easy for the Dinos to have much success this season. A rookie coach, a young team–it doesn’t usually add up to wins.

Plenty of hard work, and a commitment to teamwork and learning have landed the team in the middle of the pack in the brutal Canada West division. Now, nearing the end of the season, Boyles and the Dinos are in great position to reach one of their most important goals, reaching the playoffs.

The University of Calgary women’s volleyball team added two more wins to their total last weekend against the struggling Trinity Western University Spartans. Two easy three-set victories moved the Dinos back into a tie for third place in the Canada West division.

"Trinity West is the weak team of the west," said Boyles. "We didn’t have any problems."

On Friday, Amanda Moppett led the Dinos with 11 kills and 13 digs, well ahead of any teammate in either category. The Dinos’ offense and defense were more balanced on Saturday. Janet Bang had nine kills, Moppett added eight, and Alisa Marriott and Sara Onofrychuk contributed seven each. In the dig column, Joanna Eggerer notched seven, Bang and Marriott added six, and Pam Skeans and Moppett each had five.

"On Friday, I finally felt like I was getting back into the swing of things," said Moppett. "I pulled my head out of my butt."

Moppett has claimed a starting spot and a leadership role with the Dinos despite being a rookie.

"It’s tough because I don’t want to overstep my limits," said Moppett. "We have three rookies on the floor starting; so we’re all in different roles."

Trinity Western may be a new addition to the Canada West Conference, but every win counts. This sets up a season deciding match-up with the University of Saskatchewan in just two short weeks. The Dinos must prepare for Winnipeg next week and try to seize an opportunity to move into sole position of the third and final playoff spot in Canada West. Calgary and Saskatchewan currently have the record and will play the same teams for the rest of the season so every game counts in the Dinos’ playoff quest.

"If we can beat Winnipeg, that puts pressure on Saskatchewan," said Boyles. "The critical series is against Saskatchewan in two weeks."