KELOWNA – The UBC Thunderbirds continued their torrid run with a second consecutive 3-0 victory (25-15, 25-12, 25-21) on the road against the UBCO Heat (1-13) on Saturday.
The ‘Birds are flying high right now, winners of nine of their last 10 matches, including their last six. They’re doing so in decisive fashion as well, taking five of their six victories 3-0 during the current winning streak. The Heat are stuck in a streak of their own, having now dropped 12 straight matches.
In the first set, the two teams traded points early until a 5-0 run by the Thunderbirds gave them the lead for good. UBC maintained the five-point gap on the scoreboard for most of the set, before pulling away late to take a 10 point win. Conaire Taub had four kills to pace the T-Birds attack.
The second set was much of the same, as the ‘Birds were in control throughout. UBC dominated from the service line and posted their fifth ace of the set, and third from Reeve Gingera, to win the frame.
UBCO played their best volleyball of the match in the third set, keeping in striking distance right until the end. The Heat managed to fight off three match points before Gavin Moes ended any hope of a comeback with a match-sealing kill, his third of the set.
For the second straight night, the T-Birds were well ahead in practically all statistical categories. Their .458 hitting percentage was more than three times better than the .145 mark of the Heat, while UBCO had more than three times as many errors as their Vancouver counterparts, 17 to five.
Reeve Gingera was spectacular for the ‘Birds. His 11 kills, eight digs and four aces were all match highs. Gavin Moes chipped in with six digs and eight kills on a beautiful .667 attack percentage. Kieran Robinson-Dunning may have had his best showing of the season as well, leading all players with six blocks to go along with a pair of aces.
UBCO enjoyed a bounce back performance from setter Cade Hudson who had 28 assists with no setting errors, as well as two kills, two dig,s and a block. The Heat attack was led by the seven kills of Stephen Searcy, who also had four digs and an ace.
Next up for UBCO is a pair of home games against the Calgary Dinos. The T-Birds continue their road trip next weekend with a hotly anticipated battle against the Alberta Golden Bears. UBC now sits just two points back of conference-leading Alberta and could take sole possession of first with a strong showing in Edmonton.