Volleysaurs sweep TWU

By Kris Kotarski

It has not been an easy season for the Dinos women’s volleyball team. A 1-7 start is certainly a difficult obstacle to overcome, especially for a young team. The losses, however, had all come against top-10 teams, a fact which a Dinos fan would be quick to point out. The young Dinos are out to prove they are better than their record and it showed through their play last weekend.

Last Friday and Saturday the Dinos got into the win column twice. They welcomed visiting expansion team Trinity Western University to the Jack Simpson Gymnasium division by beating the Spartans up on consecutive nights. Rookie Amanda Moppet led the way Friday night recording 13 kills on the way to an easy 3-0 triumph.

Saturday’s game was no different as Moppet and the Dinos again won in straight sets.

The wins saw the Dinos jump into third place in their division, leapfrogging the slumping University of Saskatchewan in the standings. It’s early in the season, but the Dinos now hold the final playoff spot in the Canada West division.

"It was good for our confidence to be the dominant team last weekend," said head coach Kevin Boyles. "Now it’s a battle between us and Saskatchewan for the last playoff spot.

"Our rookies have been outstanding this season and we also got some solid leadership from key veterans. Right now we’re having a great time, and a real positive attitude about the rest of the season."

The next regular season challenge for the Dinos are the second-ranked University of Alberta Pandas. The games are Jan. 7 and 8 but the Dinos are not taking any time off.

"We’ll be practicing over the break, hitting the weights and doing some technical work to get ready for the second half of the season," Boyles remarked.

The Dinos need to work hard to hold on to third place in a very tough division. After the Pandas, the Dinos will play Trinity Western again and then host Saskatchewan in a series that could make or break their season.