By Jo Wynn
Talent
This team had a lot of height, a lot of strength and a lot of wins under their belt. At the base of this, what made the women’s volleyball team so damn good was their plethora of talent on the court. A few key returning players are Canadian Interuniversity Sport Player of the Year Joanna Niemczewska, Canada West Rookie of the Year Lauren Perry, and others. The team is as deep as they come, and any player can hit the court and dominate at any time.
Effort
Although they work their butts off six days a week, they made it look effortless on the court racking up wins. There was perhaps a lack of effort when it mattered most in the semi-final round at nationals this year, but that was the only game in which it seemed that the Dinos didn’t play in top form. But for the majority of the season–ie the 27 wins versus a single loss–the team basically played with heart and soul.
Coaching
Graced with the coaching talents of CIS Coach of the Year Kevin Boyles, the Dinos have a leader like no other. Instead of running the team like a Navy Seals training program he lets his Dinos have fun on the court. With game day theme practices ranging from “weird hat day” to “trailer trash day” Boyles gets the results needed to breed one of the best teams in the country.
Achievement
Despite the disappointing loss to the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds in the national semi-final round, our Dinos put on one hell of a show earlier in the season, winning every single game up until that fateful night that banished them into the bronze medal game against the University of Alberta Pandas.
Thankfully, glory returned the Dinos, who took home the CIS bronze. It may not be last year’s gold, but 27-1 is a pretty damn good season.
Overall: A
Singer/Band: Hendrix or Hanson. They will either be remembered as a legend who’s ride ended in an ill-fated night or forgotten as that long-haired group who couldn’t come up with anything better than their previous hit, “Mmmbump.”