VANCOUVER – The UBC Thunderbirds (2-2) made it back to back win on their home floor by taking down the visiting Brandon Bobcats (1-3) in a thrilling four-set match at War Memorial Gym, 3-1 (25-20, 21-25, 30-28, 25-16). The T-Birds, led by Gavin Moes with 17 kills, four aces, and a single attack error, built momentum with a major comeback in the third set and rode it through the final frame to secure the win.
“Moes is a hell of a player, he is a really fantastic left side,” said UBC head coach Mike Hawkins. “Last night wasn’t his best game, and I think we knew we could put him in a little bit of a better situation, but we just trusted in his ability because he is a fantastic athlete, and he showed it tonight.”
Reeve Gingera added another 19 kills and two blocks for the ‘Birds.
The Bobcats were led by Riley Grusing, who contributed 11 kills and two aces.
The game got off to a slow start, with both teams exchanging points early in the first set. However, as the defence sharpened up so did the offence along with it. Digs turned into quick kills for Gingera and Moes as the T-Birds took an early lead in the first set, 9-3.
Gingera then caught fire. With the Thunderbirds controlling the momentum, he racked up three consecutive kills from the right side, sending the ball down the middle each time, giving them a comfortable seven-point lead.
The Bobcats were able to string together a few points toward the end of the set, but the hill was too high to climb. The Thunderbirds eventually closed out the set 25-20.
The start of the second set saw both teams exchange points early on, but the T-Birds were more efficient in both their attacks and service, as Gingera and Moes combined for three aces, prompting a visitor timeout.
After the timeout, the Bobcats went on a run of six unanswered points, led by Tom Friesen and Grusing, taking the lead for the first time in the second set, 14-12. Grusing was on fire for the away team, tallying a total of six kills and two blocks over the first two sets with only two attack errors, which helped the Bobcats close out the second set 25-21.
Brandon carried over their momentum into the third set, starting with a .444 attack percentage and leading early, 8-4. The T-Birds weren’t far behind but couldn’t seem to cut into the four-point deficit, still trailing 15-11 midway through the frame.
A strong defensive performance by Chris Bryant late in the third set gave Brandon’s squad a five-point lead (16-21), as Bryant recorded consecutive blocks against Robinson-Dunning and Moes.
The T-Birds’ efficiency allowed them to hit back and regain the lead very late, 24-23, and the set continued. Both teams traded thrilling extra points until the score reached 30-28 in favor of the Thunderbirds, giving them a 2-1 lead in sets.
Strong decision-making allowed the T-Birds to play more freely, and they held the lead for most of the fourth set before sealing the match victory 25-21. The team recorded a total of just 22 errors in four sets.
“Our decision-making, especially in these situations, was key. I think we were impatient yesterday,” mentioned Hawkins. “You saw too many attack errors in the first two sets, and that just isn’t the way we want to play. It’s nice that we settled down in the final two sets with only four attack errors, and it was clear from the jump that we understood what we needed to do to score against this team.”
Moes fired on all cylinders. He put repeated pressure on the Bobcats’ serve-receive and they never seemed to find their rhythm against him, looking uncomfortable all night. It may have been the deciding factor in an otherwise very evenly played game.
Up next, the Thunderbirds will travel to Langley next Friday to face their archrivals, the Trinity Western Spartans. The Brandon Bobcats will finally host the Saskatchewan Huskies for their Canada West home opener.