While the WolfPack women prepare for their shot in the U Sports Canada West volleyball championships, the men’s team is mourning the end of their season following a pair of games at the end of February against the Calgary Dinos.
In their first game with the Dinos, each set was close, within points of the others. The Dinos took home the first set 25-23. Then ‘Pack fought back to take a dominating lead of the second set of the night, 16-11. However, the Dinos didn’t let them get the easy win and brought the score within a point. Though the men were down, they proved not to be out. Rallying back, the WolfPack took the set 25-22. Two more close battles occurred in sets three and four, but the Dinos prevailed and took both wins.
In the weekend’s second game, the ‘Pack’s entire playoff hopes relied on winning in three or four sets to keep their season going. Although the team left everything they had on the court, their efforts were not enough to push back the hometown team. While the ‘Pack suffered losses in each set, the results remained close.
The Dinos took the first set 25-23. In the second, the ‘Pack forced a comeback after trailing 24-17 with the Dinos on set point. But it wasn’t enough to trip up their hosts, who ultimately took the second set 25-22. Calgary won the third set and the game 25-21, crushing the WolfPack’s hopes of a postseason berth, as the loss left them just outside the Canada West playoff picture.
“Tough night. We came out strong in the first set and serving errors really cost us. We needed to get some momentum in the second and couldn’t put it together.” Head Coach Pat Hennelly said in a press release about the last game of the season.
Looking back on the WolfPack’s season, the team went 6-14 in its season. Season-wise, the team played well on offense, and the defense did their job; however, their record shows that, despite this, the results of sets weren’t always in their favour.
In their attack stats, the WolfPack recorded 878 kills in their season, while the opponents they faced recorded 844. They also had more attempts, earning 2114 versus 2062. While the ‘Pack surged in those stats, they also committed a greater number of errors than their opponents, with 408 made vs 355.
When it comes to errors across the board, the ‘Pack made more than their opponents in ball handling and reception, but not in blocking, where they only made 18 compared to 21. While the WolfPack were competitive in many statistical areas, these errors cost them enough points to eventually lead to game losses.
Despite the stats, the WolfPack pushed many opponents to hard-fought sets throughout the season.