The Calgary Dinos, ranked number two, showed why they are one of the top teams in the country on Saturday night, taking care of business against the UBC Okanagan Heat in three sets.
The Dinos got off to quick starts in all three starts in the match, taking big leads into the media timeout in every frame. UBCO was unable to mount any sort of comeback in any of the sets and would drop their second straight to the Dinos.
Calgary hit an impressive .441 on the night, compared to .026 for the hometown Heat. This .441 attack percentage was the visitors second best hitting performance of the season, trailing only the .466 output against Manitoba.
Aidan Lea had four kills to go with four blocks and two service aces for the Heat, while Jade Bussard had three kills and a team-high eight digs.
RELATED: Cowboys hang on for 24-22 wildcard win over Seahawks
For the visitors, it was Kate Pexman and Beth Vinnell doing most of the work for the Dinos as the two both had at least 10 kills on over .500 hitting.
Head coach Steve Manuel noted that while his team wasn’t able to get the job done this weekend, they are looking towards the bigger picture.
“The team has been working really hard over the past couple weeks as we had Montreal here after Christmas and tonight we really saw that the team was tired and we couldn’t pull out anything at all. We have an awesome group of young athletes and a bunch of superstars in the making and have got to focus on the bigger picture.”
Inn From the Cold clothing drive:
Saturday nights match was the culmination of the Bring the Heat clothing drive in partnership with Inn from the Cold Kelowna who is a non-profit organization responding to the needs of people experiencing homelessness in the community.
RELATED: Heat’s Beers finishes with career high in loss to UBC
First set:
In what was an extremely similar first set to Friday night’s match, the Dinos built a commanding lead in the first by scoring six out of seven points early on and would hold the 16-8 advantage at the media timeout. This eight point Heat deficit would only grow in the frame, as they ultimately fell 25-13 in the opener. The Dinos offence was nearly unstoppable in the set as they had 15 kills and just one error on 20 total attacks.
Second set:
An early 9-3 lead in the second for the Dinos would be cut down by the home team as they fought their way back to climb within three at 14-11. This would be as close as the Heat would get however as the No. 2 ranked team in the country scored the following seven points to regain total control of the set. The second would finish 25-14 on a kill by outside hitter Kate Pexman.
Third set:
It was another Dinos advantage to start the third as they led once again at the media timeout, this time by a 16-7 scoreline. While the home team did their best to keep the match alive they were unable to put any pressure on the Dinos, falling 25-15 in the third.
What’s next:
The Heat (2-12) will now hit the road as they will travel to face the Manitoba Bisons (6-8) next weekend. Calgary (12-2) will return to home court as they host the Winnipeg Wesmen (3-10) for a two-game set.
To report a typo, email:
newstips@kelownacapnews.com.
@KelownaCapNews
newstips@kelownacapnews.com
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.