WINNIPEG- The University of Manitoba’s Investors Group Athletic Centre played host to the gold medal match of the Canada West Conference Finals on Saturday night. It was a battle of Alberta as the University of Calgary Dinos took on the defending champions, the University of Alberta Pandas.

Pride was on the line as both these teams secured tickets to the CIS National Championships by advancing to the night’s gold medal game.

The Pandas came out blazing as they took an early four-point lead by the first technical. At the next timeout, the Dinos were able to come back however, closing the gap and trailing 16-14. In a heated opening set, with both teams trading the lead the Dinos managed to draw first blood, taking the opening set 27-25.

The Dinos clearly had the momentum to start the second set, taking three points quickly. They continued to roll later on,going up by as much as five. The Pandas managed to hang around though tieing the game at 12, midway through the set. By the end of the set, the Pandas came back into the game, winning the set 25-19.

Tied at a set apiece going into the third, these two teams were knotted up for the better part of the set. The Pandas managed to maintain a three-point lead in latter half of the frame, and the closed it out at 26-24.

The Dinos exploded into the fourth set going up 5-1 early. Not to be outdone however, the Pandas bounced right back to tie the game at 12. Late in the game, the Pandas took at two-point lead and never looked back, taking the set, the game 3-1 (25-27, 25-19, 26-24, 25-22) and the gold medal for the second straight year.

Jocelyn Blair had five kills for the Pandas, while Tiffany Proudfoot followed behind with four of her own. Top Dino on the night was Holly Harper, leading all players with six kills.

“The girls are just extatic right now,” said Pandas head coach Laurie Eisler.  “ It’s pretty much the same group we had last year when we won it, so we knew exactly what we needed to do tonight, and we got the job done.”

“Now we’re just going to enjoy the moment, and the Winnipeg weather tomorrow,” said Eisler.

The CIS National Championships take place next week in Fredericton, New Brunswick.