SASKATOON, Sask. – Game three of the Canada West Quarter Final was do or die for the UBC Thunderbirds and the Saskatchewan Huskies. The Thunderbirds took Game 1 by a 3-0 score Friday, while the Huskies grabbed the game two win 3-2 on Saturday, forcing the decisive Game 3.
An incredible Sunday afternoon crowd at the Physical Activity Complex bolstered the Huskies team to a 3-2 (25-23, 25-18, 18-25, 22-25, 15-11) win as they advance to the Canada West Semi-Final. A tough blow for the #5 ranked UBC Thunderbirds who showed remarkable resilience and character during a 2022-23 season that featured a rash of untimely injuries and stiff parity from throughout the Canada West conference. Sunday’s five-set loss marked the final appearance for graduating players: Michael Dowhaniuk, Gerard Murray, Matt Neaves and Coltyn Liu.
“The resiliency we showed this weekend impressed me,” said Thunderbirds Head Coach Mike Hawkins. “You never like to go down 0-2 and even in the third set it felt like things were slipping away from us a bit. I’m proud of the resolve of this group to keep fighting.”
Teams traded points to start the first set. Tied at 18-18, kills from Saskatchewan’s Dylan Mortensen and Quinn Buchanan turned the tide in favour of the Huskies. Saskatchewan wouldn’t trail for the remainder of the set and would take the 25-23 win. Dylan Mortensen would have five kills for Saskatchewan in the first set, with four for UBC’s Michael Dowhaniuk who also had two service aces in the set.
The Huskies would take the first lead in the second set, playing aggressive volleyball and going up 19-14 over the Thunderbirds. An impressive kill from Coltyn Liu would provide some energy to the Thunderbirds before a service error would give the ball back to the Huskies. Gerard Murray’s kill would bring the ball back to the Thunderbirds, but a sharp kill from Huskies outside hitter Dylan Mortensen stop their momentum. Saskatchewan would win the second set 25-18, and the give them the 2-0 set lead.
Tied at 10-10 in the third set, a UBC service error and an incredible block by Huskies Dylan Mortensen, Quinn Buchanan and Isaiah Mamer, would put the Huskies up 12-10. Saskatchewan’s momentum continued until some impressive kills from UBC’s Michael Dowhaniuk and Coltyn Liu would push the set to a 14-14 tie. Tied at 18-18, three Huskies attack errors and a kill from Gerard Murray would give the Thunderbirds the 22-18 lead. UBC would continue to use their offensive weapons and win the set 25-18, forcing a fourth set.
UBC would ride that momentum into the fourth set with an early 13-6 lead. Saskatchewan would take a time out trailing 10-18 to focus and formulate a new plan of attack. A kill from Quinn Buchanan would and an ace from Emmett Graham would give the Huskies some life, as they began to close the gap. UBC would call a timeout leading 21-16. The Huskies would come out of the timeout with three straight points, pushing UBC to use their final timeout of the set still leading 22-19. A Saskatchewan service error would give the ball back to UBC, and while the Huskies would fight back, they would ultimately drop the fourth set 22-25 to the Thunderbirds.
A fifth set between two strong teams is always a thrill for volleyball fans, and this fifth set was no different. The middle of the set was riddled with service errors from both teams, before the Huskies took the 8-6 lead before the bench switch. Saskatchewan continued to ride their momentum, moving to an 11-7 lead before a UBC timeout. The Huskies would be up next with the timeout, leading 12-9. The set would end with an incredible block from Saskatchewan to win the fifth set 15-11, and the 3-2 game.
“Today we came out with lots of energy,” commented Huskies Head Coach Sean McKay. “We went down a few sets in the middle but we really came together in that fifth set. We played three really good sets of volleyball and some doubt came in a bit in our outside hitters but our team did a good job producing and we’re happy to be moving on in the postseason.”
Dylan Mortensen led the Huskies with 15 kills, five blocks, and one ace, followed by Levi Olson’s 12 kills, two blocks and two aces. For the Thunderbirds, Michael Dowhaniuk was the star of the show, with 18 kills, two aces, two blocks and six digs. Matt Neaves and Coltyn Liu both had 11 kills a piece.
The Canada West Semi-Final will run March 3-5 at the University of Alberta. Game can be streamed live on CanadaWest.TV.