When UBC came to town last weekend, a rematch of last season’s Canada West final did not leave the fans disappointed. Even though the Dinos only came out with one win, it was Saturday’s performance that the ladies have to be proud of.
“We had a good start on Friday, but it was the fact that we had so may unforced errors that killed us,” said Head Coach Kevin Boyles.
The Dinos took the first game 25-21 but ended up dropping the next three to end the match in a 3-1 loss. The games were all close, but Calgary had 32 errors whereas UBC only had 20.
“I was pleased with our performance and after a team meeting I decide that there really wasn’t much to change for Saturday,” added Boyles.
Calgary came out on Saturday with what appeared to be confidence–from everybody.
“We always talk about performance and this time we all contributed towards the overall greatness we know we can achieve,” said team captain Amanda Moppett.
Greatness might be an understatement to the way the Dinos played on Saturday, rolling over UBC in just three games. The Dinos took the first two games quickly (25-16, 25-13) and then fought hard took keep the third game 27-25.
“I think we all just wanted the win so bad,” said Player of the Match Joanna Niemczewska. “We finally played our game, and kept it going for all three sets. I think we want that feeling–the feeling that we are leaving the game with no regrets.”
A key to Calgary’s success might have been the fact that they cut their errors from 32 to 15 while UBC stayed relatively consistent with 22. Saturday’s match was a sign that the Dinos can improve when need be and be competitive enough to take on the number one seed in the country.
“We play like we have nothing to lose,” stated Boyles. “It’s how we approached the game. It’s a bit different than what we are used to, we are no longer playing to stay number one. We are now playing as the underdog and I think it has its advantages.”
On a side note, the only thing that made this game more entertaining was the drunken fan club of Amanda Moppett and libero Tara Deeks. One fan likes to dress up like Christina Aguilera and the others like to scream out the cries of “number two, you’re hot!” and “Amanda will you marry me?!”