T-Birds alone atop Canada West after statement win over Spartans

LANGLEY – The U SPORTS No.1-ranked UBC Thunderbirds (17-2) took sole possession of first place in Canada West by defeating their archrivals, the U SPORTS No.4-ranked Trinity Western Spartans (16-3), by a score of 3-2 (25-18, 21-25, 25-19, 23-25, 15-12) at the Langley Events Centre.

The longtime rivals’ first meeting since last season’s National Championship match had shades of that five-set thriller, with momentum sliding back and forth throughout the tightly contested battle and UBC coming out on top in the end. This chapter of the rivalry was defined by defence however, as the T-Birds held the Spartans to a paltry .058 attack percentage, but hit only .241 themselves.
 

Lucy Borowski was the most dangerous player on the floor for either side, with the uber-versatile third-year T-Bird picking up match-best totals of 19 kills, 25 points and three aces, along with six blocks. Claire Cossarini had a match high seven blocks as well as 12 kills on crisp, .450 hitting. Kacey Jost led all players with 20 digs, while adding three assists and a kill. For the Spartans, Kaylee Plouffe led the way with 13 kills and three aces while Kirsten Kampman had 10 kills and 10 digs.

UBC appeared to be in control of the first set from the get-go. The match began with an ace from Borowski and the T-Birds did not look back from there. The 6’1 outside hitter/setter picked up five kills over the first frame while helping the ‘Birds hold the Spartans to a negative hitting percentage. The set ended as a comfortable 25-18 UBC win.

The second set was much more evenly matched. The ‘Birds built up a small lead midway through the frame only to see the Spartan go on a six point run to turn a three point deficit into a 13-10 Trinity lead. The Spartans managed to hold off the T-Birds until they knotted it up at 21, before TWU ripped off a four point run to win 25-21 and tie the match up.

Set number three started as a grind for both sides. Mental errors and a couple of questionable calls from the officials drew widespread ire from coaches and players alike, but neither team was able to capitalize on the other’s frustration through the first half of the set. Trinity’s Kaylee Plouffe went on a three kill run in the middle of the frame to break a an 11-11 tie, but the T-Birds took the next three points to tie it at 14. Neither team took a multi-point advantage from there until a four-point service run by Borowski, which included her second ace of the night, put the ‘Birds up 22-18 and forced two quick Trinity timeouts. The Spartans were never able to recover, as the blue and gold went on to win 25-19 and take a 2-1 lead in the match.

Despite the UBC defence continuing to hold the Spartans’ normally explosive attack in check, Trinity Western refused to roll over. Using great covers and taking advantage of second chance opportunities, they managed to hang tight with the ‘Birds despite barely hitting over .100. The T-Birds struggled to finish kills in the fourth set in their own right, but rarely trailed through the tightly contested frame. With UBC up 23-20, Trinity Western took advantage of a pair of attacking errors to put together a three point run and knot the match at 23-23. A desperate rally followed, finally finished by TWU’s Tamar Bil, who squeezed her third consecutive attack through the UBC block. On set point, Trinity’s Jayda Harder gained leverage on a joust at the net, pushing the ball down to earn the kill and send the match to a fifth set.

The Thunderbirds trailed early in the fifth frame, as the team kept feeding its hottest hitter, Borowski, while the Spartans did the same with Plouffe. UBC pulled even at 6-6 when Jocelyn Lenarcic caught the Trinity defence by surprise by dumping the ball directly over the net off of an athletic, one-handed Jost dig. The T-Birds took their first lead at 9-8 when Cossarini and Borowski combined for a big block on Plouffe, before Borowski added a kill to push it to 10-8. The Spartans soon pulled back within one on a Plouffe ace, cutting UBC’s advantage to 12-11. That was as close as the home side would come however, as a Cossarini kill, Borowski block, and a service error eventually handed the T-Birds the 15-12 win to take the match 3-2.

The two teams will square off again at UBC’s Point Grey campus on Friday for the second half of the home-and-home series. Friday’s match is part of Pride Night at War Memorial Gym, with fans encouraged to dress up colourfully. Tickets may still be available here. Stream all of the action, live or on demand, on Canada West TV.