Got a problem? Throw some money at it and it’ll go away. That is how the most famous chin in Canadian politics ran the show in the ’80s and ’90s, and apparently, Dinos Head Coach Greg Ryan was paying attention.
On Friday night against Trinity Western, the Dinos jumped out to a 2-0 lead, but failed to shut the door on a TWU rally, losing the match 3-2. Questions were again raised about the Dinos’ mentality to close out a match, mostly by a group of former players who claimed none of this year’s squad has “any game sense whatsoever.” But coach Ryan saw a different problem. He needed more offence. The solution, well, throw some money at it… E-Money.
Eric Von Engelbrechten got the nod to start Saturday night, and the Spartans had no answer for the Moneyman.
With his entire family in the stands, E-Money racked up 14 kills over the four set win, and was absolutely unstoppable. He even brought out the trash talk, urging the Trinity Western blockers to “get outta here!” embarrassing them over and over again. Von Engelbrechten changed the flow of the offence so much that this writer almost considered giving him a new nickname, “The New Revolution.”
Apologies to Andy “the Revolution” Holland, but Von Engelbrechten deserves it for the way he can seemingly change the Dinos’ on-court demeanour from what audience members called “robotic” on Friday, to the loose, easy going squad we were treated to on Saturday night.
To sum up what Von Engelbrechten brings to the table, I quote a really lame cereal commercial starring one Vince Carter.
“He got the swagger, he got it all.”
He may be the final ingredient the Dinos need to climb that next rung of the ladder into the upper echelon of CIS volleyball. A better test of the Dinos’ mettle will come in the form of the defending National Champion Alberta Golden Bears this weekend at the Jack Simpson Gymnasium. Game times are 6:15 p.m. Friday and Saturday night.