MVB: Dinos Hold Off Huskies to Clinch Final Four Berth
March 12, 2022
ABBOTSFORD, B.C. - The No. 7 ranked Calgary Dinos held off the Saskatchewan Huskies in a dramatic fifth set victory (27-25, 25-20, 19-25, 22-25, 15-11) at the UFV Athletic Centre on Saturday night. With this victory, the Dinos have punched their ticket to the Canada West Final Four.
After falling in the first two sets, the Huskies dug in their heels, winning the next two sets before falling in the fifth set.
With numerous Dinos carrying the load in an intense tilt, it was Hamish Hazelden, who was recently named a Canada West First Team All-Star, who led Calgary with a team-high of 20 kills. Erik Godwin followed up soon after, completing 11 kills on 24 attempts.
Saskatchewan's night of offence was primarily sparked by Dylan Mortensen and Levi Olson. The duo combined for 37 of Saskatchewan's 58 kills as Mortensen, who was named a Canada West Second Team All-Star, made 21 kills for the game's high.
After going 0-2 in the second week of the Canada West Playoffs, Saskatchewan has officially been eliminated, giving way for the Dinos to make their way to the Canada West Final Four. With their berth secured, Calgary will have a shot at spoiling No. 1 ranked Trinity Western's opportunity at hosting the Canada West Final Four on Sunday, which would give way for No. 3 ranked Alberta to host instead.
AS IT HAPPENED
The Dinos were the first to strike in Saturday's electric tilt as Lincoln Baines, Parker Siroishka, and Hamish Hazelden put down four kills each to lead Calgary to a wild 27-25 set victory. For the Huskies, it was Levi Olson's hot start which kept them within reach the entire set. Olson made four kills on an efficiency of .500.
Calgary continued their march in the second set, taking a more convincing 25-20 win in the second set. Hazelden completed another six kills in the set, bringing the Canada West First Team All-Star's total to 10 after two sets. After two sets, Saskatchewan's offence had gone ice cold, hitting .175 throughout the first two sets.
With Saskatchewan's backs against the wall, the Huskies, who only held a 13-11 lead, outscored the Dinos 12-8 to cap off the third set. The set saw the Saskatchewan pair of Levi Olson and Dylan Mortensen complete five kills each.
With their season on the line, the Huskies dug their heels in even harder, forcing a fifth set with a 25-22 set victory. After the Dinos took a 4-3 lead in the set, the Huskies immediately battled back, refusing to concede their lead for the remainder of the set.
With a fifth set forced by the Huskies, it was Calgary who snuffed out all of Saskatchewan's momentum, winning the fifth set 15-11. The Dinos being the first to eight carried a significant amount of momentum heading into the rest of the set, outscoring the Huskies 8-4 to secure their spot in the Canada West Final Four.
QUOTABLE
Calgary Head Coach Rod Durrant
"I thought we came out and battled really well in the first two sets. They're a good team - and they fought back hard in three and four. When you get into five it's about making plays and execution. I thought our guys stayed composed and executed down the stretch when they needed to."
Saskatchewan Head Coach Sean McKay
"We started off passing really well, but we couldn't terminate or isolate well, so that put us down two sets. The boys started to battle a little bit more, we made switch on the aggressiveness of our serving - and that resulted in a pretty good turnaround to steal some points. The boys made a good switch, but you have to be willing to go for it in the fifth, and I don't quite know if we did tonight.
"The boys came a long way this season which is great to see. Our program has a lot to do to get to the next level."
After falling in the first two sets, the Huskies dug in their heels, winning the next two sets before falling in the fifth set.
With numerous Dinos carrying the load in an intense tilt, it was Hamish Hazelden, who was recently named a Canada West First Team All-Star, who led Calgary with a team-high of 20 kills. Erik Godwin followed up soon after, completing 11 kills on 24 attempts.
Saskatchewan's night of offence was primarily sparked by Dylan Mortensen and Levi Olson. The duo combined for 37 of Saskatchewan's 58 kills as Mortensen, who was named a Canada West Second Team All-Star, made 21 kills for the game's high.
After going 0-2 in the second week of the Canada West Playoffs, Saskatchewan has officially been eliminated, giving way for the Dinos to make their way to the Canada West Final Four. With their berth secured, Calgary will have a shot at spoiling No. 1 ranked Trinity Western's opportunity at hosting the Canada West Final Four on Sunday, which would give way for No. 3 ranked Alberta to host instead.
AS IT HAPPENED
The Dinos were the first to strike in Saturday's electric tilt as Lincoln Baines, Parker Siroishka, and Hamish Hazelden put down four kills each to lead Calgary to a wild 27-25 set victory. For the Huskies, it was Levi Olson's hot start which kept them within reach the entire set. Olson made four kills on an efficiency of .500.
Calgary continued their march in the second set, taking a more convincing 25-20 win in the second set. Hazelden completed another six kills in the set, bringing the Canada West First Team All-Star's total to 10 after two sets. After two sets, Saskatchewan's offence had gone ice cold, hitting .175 throughout the first two sets.
With Saskatchewan's backs against the wall, the Huskies, who only held a 13-11 lead, outscored the Dinos 12-8 to cap off the third set. The set saw the Saskatchewan pair of Levi Olson and Dylan Mortensen complete five kills each.
With their season on the line, the Huskies dug their heels in even harder, forcing a fifth set with a 25-22 set victory. After the Dinos took a 4-3 lead in the set, the Huskies immediately battled back, refusing to concede their lead for the remainder of the set.
With a fifth set forced by the Huskies, it was Calgary who snuffed out all of Saskatchewan's momentum, winning the fifth set 15-11. The Dinos being the first to eight carried a significant amount of momentum heading into the rest of the set, outscoring the Huskies 8-4 to secure their spot in the Canada West Final Four.
QUOTABLE
Calgary Head Coach Rod Durrant
"I thought we came out and battled really well in the first two sets. They're a good team - and they fought back hard in three and four. When you get into five it's about making plays and execution. I thought our guys stayed composed and executed down the stretch when they needed to."
Saskatchewan Head Coach Sean McKay
"We started off passing really well, but we couldn't terminate or isolate well, so that put us down two sets. The boys started to battle a little bit more, we made switch on the aggressiveness of our serving - and that resulted in a pretty good turnaround to steal some points. The boys made a good switch, but you have to be willing to go for it in the fifth, and I don't quite know if we did tonight.
"The boys came a long way this season which is great to see. Our program has a lot to do to get to the next level."