 |  |
No. 1 T-Birds score come from behind five-set victory
REGINA - The No. 1-ranked University of British Columbia
Thunderbirds won the fourth and fifth sets to record a
come-from-behind 3-2 (17-25, 25-13, 18-25, 25-20, 15-12) victory
over the Regina Cougars on Friday night in a Canada West match at
the Centre for Kinesiology, Health & Sport.
"We had a fair amount of inconsistent play but we pulled it
together enough to get the W," said UBC boss Doug Reimer. " We were
certainly showing some of that early January rust but also a lot of
credit to Regina. They played hard and pushed us
significantly. Hopefully we learned some lessons and can
become more consistent and a bit smoother tomorrow night".
Ranked No. 4 in the CIS, the Cougars opened up the contest with a
25-17 win in the first set. UBC responded in a big way in the
second, winning 25-13 to square the match at one set apiece. The
back-and-forth continued as Regina pulled ahead taking the third
set 25-18, but the Thunderbirds were able to come through in the
clutch.
The turning point of the match came late in the fourth. Trailing
19-18 and following a 6-1 run by the Cougars, UBC scored seven of
the set's final eight points to force a fifth and deciding frame.
The Thunderbirds relied on a run again in the final frame scoring
six consecutive points midway through the set on their way to a
15-12 win to clinch the victory.
Liz Cordonier had a match-high 16 kills for UBC and added 11 digs
for a double-double. Shanice Marcelle also counted for double
figures on offence and defence for the Thunderbirds, collecting 14
digs and 12 kills. Katie Tyzuk had 43 assists for UBC, while
Jessica vonSchilling had a team-high .357 hitting percentage.
Four Cougars notched double-digits in kills, including Beth Clark
(14), Kaitlyn Hughes (14), Meagan Onstad (11), and Meagan Smith
(10). Onstad (11 kills, 10 digs) and Tiffany Herman (46 assists, 14
digs) both recorded double-doubles for Regina, while libero Rebecca
Rink led all players with a career-high 15 digs.
The win improves UBC's record to an unblemished 10-0 on the season,
while the Cougars fall to 6-3.
The two teams square off again on Saturday night at the CKHS at 8
p.m. following the men's match.
Source:
Ben Schach
UBC Sports Information Director
