Pandas fall to UBC, to play for CW bronze next week

VANCOUVER – The UBC Thunderbirds defeated the Alberta Pandas in straight sets 3-0 (28-26, 25-15, 25-20) to book their place in next weekend’s Canada West Final.
 
The Pandas started out the match hot knowing they needed to win to stave off the series loss, but the T-Birds rallied and took control as the match went on.
 
Akash Grewal put up 13 kills, four digs and three aces for UBC while Erika Vermette continued her strong postseason run with 11 kills and a season-high 13 digs. Issy Robertshaw compiled 35 assists, 10 digs and three blocks.
 
Laila Johnston recorded nine kills, four digs and four blocks for the visitors, with Abby Guezen putting up six kills and a season-high 16 digs in support.
 
With their backs against the wall following a Game 1 loss, the Pandas jumped out to a 12-4 lead in the first set. UBC went on a brief run to cut into the lead, but Alberta responded with an ace by Justine Kolody made it 18-12.
 
From there the tide began to turn, as the Thunderbirds chipped away at the lead. Kills by Claire Cossarini and Grewal made it 21-18, and after Alberta had multiple chances at set point the T-Birds fought each of them off to tie the score at 24.
 
With the momentum behind them UBC was able to nudge in front for their first lead of the set, and finished it off at 28-26 with a big block from Cossarini.
 
Lucy Borowski got the T-Birds going early in the second with a couple kills, and then a block from Vermette and Cossarini made it 6-2 for the home team.
 
The lead snowballed from there, jumping to 10-4 after a kill by Emma Doyon, before a 7-0 burst capped by another Cossarini block made it 20-9. UBC cruised from there, closing out a 25-15 set win for their biggest margin of victory in any set in the series.
 
The T-Birds again got out to a strong start in the third, with the high-water mark being a Borowski ace that made it 10-3. The Pandas, however, found the fire to reel off a massive 11-4 run to tie the score at 14.
 
Back on their heels a bit, the Thunderbirds rallied and went on a run of their own. Back-to-back blocks from the duo of Robertshaw and Cossarini put the score at 22-16 and UBC found themselves in the driver’s seat once again.
 
A few more errors by Alberta was enough to see the T-Birds across the finish line, as they made it a perfect 12 wins in 12 sets in the first two rounds of the postseason. UBC is now in the Canada West Final for the first time since 2018, and have the chance to win their first conference championship since 2014.
 
The win also means the Thunderbirds have clinched a spot at the upcoming national championship tournament, giving them the chance to defend their title from last season.
 
UBC will host the single-match Canada West Final at War Memorial Gym on Saturday, March 9 at 5:00 p.m. PT. They will face off against the Manitoba Bisons, who have become quite the foe in the last couple seasons.
 
In last year’s Canada West playoffs, it was the Bisons who eliminated the Thunderbirds in the quarterfinals, before UBC got their revenge in the national semifinals. The two teams split their weekend series in the regular season back in January.
 
The Pandas meanwhile will return to the west coast next weekend to meet the University of Fraser Valley Cascades in the Canada West bronze medal match, the winner receives an automatic berth at U SPORTS Nationals in Hamilton.