EDMONTON, AB – The UBC Thunderbirds will be heading to the U SPORTS Championship on a winning note, as they defeated the Thompson Rivers WolfPack 3-1 to capture a Canada West bronze medal.
In what was a remarkably tight contest between the provincial rivals, UBC was boosted by 14 more kills, nine more aces, and 13 more digs than their counterpart. Issy Robertshaw was named Mikasa Player of the Match for UBC after a 34-assist, three ace, seven dig performance for the Thunderbirds. Kylee Glanville led UBC with 13 kills, to go along with 12 from Aimee Skinner and 10 from Lucy Borowski.
"Obviously a disappointing loss yesterday, a really close game. We were able to come together; we were talking about playing to win today. It's nice to come away with some hardware," said the UBC setter. "We were prepared for a well-balanced attack from the WolfPack. We saw some different players from them today so we had to adjust to that, so we had to focus on our strategy and what we brought to the game."
Maria Dancheva led Thompson Rivers with 12 kills, to go along with 11 from Myah Cressy. Libby Meldrum had a game-high 38 assists for the 'Pack, who will now set their sights on the national championship next week.
UBC showcased their depth in the opening set, with six different attackers combining for 13 kills. The T-Birds trailed 9-4 early in the opener, before their offence found a rhythm en route to the 25-17 win. Lee and Borowski had three kills each, with five aces and two blocks making up for eight attack errors.
The WolfPack were led by three kills from Gent, and two each from Dancheva and Cressy.
TRU responded with a stellar 25-22 second set win. Tied at 19-19, TRU won six of the next nine points. Mancheva and Cressy combined for nine kills in the second set alone, as the 'Pack scored 13 as a team on 30 attempts. UBC struggled from the line, committing seven service errors in the set, after only one in the first.
The third set was the best of the match to that point, which saw UBC score four straight points after being tied at 21 to earn a 25-21 win. Two aces from Issy Robertshaw to go along with a kill from Kylee Glanville was the final momentum push needed from UBC. The third saw 11 tie scores and four lead changes between the provincial rivals.
After a tight opening to the fourth, which saw the teams tied at 12-12, UBC started to pull ahead, taking a 16-12 lead and never relinquishing their lead. Skinner ended the match with a kill, as UBC took the fourth 25-20.
Mikasa Players of the Game
UBC - #5 Issy Robertshaw
TRU - #19 Maria Dancheva
