The Dinos men's volleyball team has been exactly the same for the last five years. Not all the players have been there the whole time, some have moved on, but the collective that is the Dinos is as unchanging as the beat to a Moby song. Every year it's the same old thing.

"We have all the tools, it's just a mental thing," says third-year right side Scott Thomas.

If you search the Gauntlet archives for men's volleyball, I'd be willing to bet that you would find that quote at least ten times since I've been around (1998). How long is that going to be a valid excuse? If I hire someone to build me a house, and he rolls up in his truck with numerous saws, levels, measures and lumber, I assume that he is going use those tools to get a house built within the next five years.

I've been a member of the Dinos team for four years before this season, so I not only share in the blame, I know what I'm talking about. With a third-place finish in a tournament bearing their name, the Dinos have finished in a position that's not quite terrible (you can save that for Regina), but they did underachieve. Ranked fourth in the nation, you can bet that conference rivals like Trinity Western will be gunning for the Dinos.

On any given night, the Dinos can beat any team in the country, evident in their pre-season victory over perennial powerhouse Manitoba.

The problem is the other nights. When the "mental thing" gets away from the Dinos, they are reminiscent of the Simpsons episode when Homer tries to put together the brick barbeque in the yard--it gets ugly real quick.

Last season the Dinos successfully alternated between these two states, finishing just below .500 on the year. In 2000 a team that was destined for gold brought home bronze. All these teams had the tools, they just didn't deliver the goods. If they don't find some way to overcome this mental roadblock, it will be the same old story.

The Dinos will win, they have the talent to do so. But whether they do it often enough or when it matters will dictate the value of the builder.