Trinity Western edge T-Birds in five-set semifinal thriller

EDMONTON - The No. 3 Trinity Western Spartans upset the No. 2 UBC Thunderbirds in a 3-2 (20-25, 25-22, 25-21, 17-25, 15-13) absolute classic of a Canada West semifinal Friday night.

It was an absolute thriller of a second semifinal of the night, one that ended up having a two-point overall differential which, over five sets, underscores how close the contest truly was. It saw phenomenal individual efforts from CW First Team All-Stars Maryn Boldon (TWU) and Lucy Borowski (UBC), who finished with 19 and 23 kills respectively, each leading their team by at least seven. Boldon won the match with a service ace in the fifth set, while leading only 14-13.

"We know UBC Thunderbirds are such an amazing all-around team so we just had to maintain a steady attitude and rely on our game to pull us through. It was a great match - it could have gone either way - so kudos to both teams," Boldon stated after the match.

The margins were thin, but each team performed to their strengths in the match. UBC outhit the Spartans .247-to-.184, but TWU was able to out-ace the 'Birds 10-to-six. Borowski and Boldon certainly carried the fourth and largely fifth sets of the match, but UBC's Kylee Glanville and Elizabeth Lee each finished over 10 kills, and Isabella Stothart hit .500 with nine kills and two blocks.

With the win, TWU will face the No. 1 Alberta Pandas for their chance at their first CW Championship since 2023. The Thunderbirds move to the Bronze Medal match against the WolfPack, but with TWU hosting the U SPORTS national championship, they are already assured a place to compete for their third national title in four years.

It was an incredibly close opening set, with the teams exchanging mini-runs in a set that featured 11 ties and seven lead changes. That was, until UBC's attack behind Elizabeth Lee and Kylee Glanville would lead the Thunderbirds on a 6-0 run mid-set that captured the momentum in a 25-20 win. Lee, Glanville, and Lucy Borowski combined for 11 kills in the frame for UBC, while Maryn Boldon paced the Spartans with four.

The margins were tight again in the second set, which featured another 12 ties and four lead changes. UBC held the momentum until a 5-2 TWU run mid-set that changed the Spartans fortunes, as they would hold on for a 25-22 set win. Boldon was strong again in the frame, recording a team-high three kills.

The Spartans looked to have figured their attack out in the early third, jumping out to a 10-4 lead, but UBC with an 8-2 run immediately after led by Borowski to get back in the all-important middle frame. However, the Spartans would take a five-point lead shortly after and ride it the whole way out to take a commanding 2-1 match lead. Boldon was massive in the frame, hitting a set-high seven kills, pacing a Spartans attack that hit a game-high .324 in the set.

This game was never going to let the fourth set be the decisive frame, as UBC took command early for the, amazingly, largest set win of the match at 25-17. The offence, led by Borowski with a frame-high six kills, hit .324 as a team to force a fifth set with a berth in the CW Championship on the line.

The teams traded 3-point runs to open the fifth, and inched forward to an 8-7 Thunderbirds lead at the halfway mark. The Spartans would threaten early after that, but a strong 3-0 run would put the 'Birds up 12-10. However, after knotting the game at 13-13, the Spartans would take both points, including a service ace from Boldon to win the game.