With the win, UBC (3-0) will travel to Calgary where Pool C winners Mount Royal (3-0) will play host to Round 2 Pool E action. Alberta (2-1) lands in Langley as the number two seed in Pool D, where Pool A winners Trinity Western (3-0) host.
The game was inarguably the closest of all Pool B action. Both teams were effective in limiting attack errors, but the TBird’s defence was stout allowing just a .107 attacking percentage to their own .200. UBC remarkably fielded nine players who recorded two or more kills in an impressive show of depth.
Alberta was led by fifth-year standout Kory White, all-time Canada West leader in kills, who paced the losing side with 11 kills.
The Thunderbirds started the match with a ton of – ahem – thunder. They dominated the Pandas to the tune of a 25-13 set victory; categorically stunting an Alberta team that to this point had ranked first in kills per set in the CW postseason. Fifth-year Petit had a phenomenal set, recording seven kills on 14 swings. UBC ranked first in the CW this season in service aces, and they proved it in this set with three straight coming off the hand of Jayde Robertsen early in the frame. Lauryn Tremblay paced the Pandas with 4 finishes.
It took the Pandas a set to get truly warmed up, taking the second set in a much closer 25-20 frame. Alberta’s Tremblay, White, and Vanessa Jarman each recorded three kills in the set with Petit pacing the Birds with the same. Pandas service extraordinaire Kalysta Knappett entered the game to serve with a 19-18 lead, and left it with a 24-19 lead in what was the key run for Alberta.
The third set was the closest of the evening, a 25-21 UBC decision that featured another set-high five kills from Petit. Thunderbird’s setter Kayla Oxland was critical to the attack, recording 14 assists. The TBird’s boast the #2 blocking defence in the CW and showed it in this frame, coming up with some clutch blocks down the stretch from a powerful Alberta attack. White had a Panda-high four kills in the set.
UBC would take it the rest of the way, winning the fourth and final set 25-20. Alberta’s attack, which struggled to reach the dominant form shown all season, struggled to the tune of a .000 hitting percentage which sunk the comeback efforts.
The TBird’s Robertson and Alberta’s Tremblay had notable games as well, the former with four service aces and the latter with nine kills.
Both teams will open Round 2 action starting Friday, March 11th in their respective pools.