In team sports, it is very rare for a coach to openly acknowledge they have built a team around a particular player. By doing so, there is the danger of marginalizing other players or putting too much pressure on that one player. Despite that, Dinos women’s volleyball Head Coach Kevin Boyles has often referred to… Continue reading Going out on top
Tag: Womens Volleyball
A strange bond
Championship teams are always tight-knit groups built on close relationships, trust and lifelong friendships. Few things compare to the unity shared by teammates, never mind champions. Those kind of bonds comes from a variety of places, but in the case of the national champion Dinos women’s volleyball squad, it’s a little unorthodox. At a team… Continue reading A strange bond
Best of the best?
Allow me to be the first to admit it: I was wrong. Funny thing is, I’ve never been happier to be wrong in my entire life. It all goes back to Dino Cup weekend. I was perched in the press box, looking down on the Jack Simpson Gymnasium, chatting with Cameron Maxwell from the Calgary… Continue reading Best of the best?
Women’s Volleyball
Talent The quality and quantity of both the depth and elite talent on this squad are a testament to Kevin Boyles and the program he has built. With BLG Award nominee Joanna Niemczewska leading the way, the Dinos had multiple threats at every position all season long. Coaching The fact that Kevin Boyles has yet… Continue reading Women’s Volleyball
Jill Friend: Women’s Volleyball
It was a tough offseason for Jill Friend. April 2003 saw her still licking her wounds from another failed trip to nationals and staring reconstructive shin surgery square in the face. It was so daunting that the fifth-year Dinos women’s volleyball player was seriously considering calling it quits. Lucky for her and her teammates she… Continue reading Jill Friend: Women’s Volleyball
A Golden Season
It was early evening and I sat in my hotel room in Laval, Quebec. My roommate for the weekend was in the shower, getting ready for dinner. I sat on my bed, while a dejected Amanda Moppett and her father sat on the bed across from me. The then fourth-year Dino was drained, physically and… Continue reading A Golden Season
Three more matches
It’s not quite what they wanted, but the Dinos will take their Canada West silver medal with an eye on the ultimate prize. “With all that went on up there, from bad calls to playing in U of A’s gym to the injury to Jo, to play as well as we did is definitely a… Continue reading Three more matches
Going out in style
With the crowd on its feet and applause ringing in their ears, Amanda Moppett and Jill Friend played their last home matches in style, closing out a weekend sweep over the University of Winnipeg Wesmen Feb. 20-21. “It was perfect, I couldn’t have asked for anything better,” said Moppett, who has started all 127 matches… Continue reading Going out in style
Volleysaurs on the verge
Seven more wins. All they need to capture that elusive national crown are seven more wins. Problem is, it’s not going to be easy. "We’re in a conference where six of the top seven teams in the country are competing for three berths at nationals," explained Dinos women’s volleyball Head Coach Kevin Boyles of the… Continue reading Volleysaurs on the verge
Poor bastards had no chance
I still remember the shortest volleyball match I ever witnessed. It was Sat., Nov. 17, 2001 and the University of Calgary Dinos women’s team embarrassed the Trinity Western University Spartans 3-0 in a mere 31 minutes. They actually took the second set 25-6. Needless to say, Trinity doesn’t like coming to Calgary. Which brings us… Continue reading Poor bastards had no chance