T-Birds clinch first in Canada West with four set win over Brandon

VANCOUVER – For the first time in ten years, the UBC Thunderbirds have secured first place in the Canada West and home court advantage throughout the playoffs after a four set victory (25-12, 25-14, 24-26, 25-13) over the Brandon Bobcats Friday night at War Memorial Gym.

After a relatively easy go of it for the number one ranked T-Birds (21-2) in the first and second sets, the Bobcats (1-22) showed some resilience in the third, battling back to take it in extra points before UBC hammered back with another efficient frame to secure their fifth straight victory.

“You just have to do the proverbial play to win – you have to assert yourself, not hope they’ll make errors or avoid losing,” said UBC head coach Doug Reimer following the penultimate match of the season. “I think we missed ten serves in that third set. You might not like it at the time, but I actually think in a lot of ways it’s a good reminder of how you have to just get yourself refreshed and get back and ready to get that next point. Other than that, in some of the other sets I thought we actually played pretty clean, some good play and got people involved.”

The opening frame on the first of two nights honouring UBC’s seven graduating seniors saw a see-saw affair with the Bobcats holding an early 6-5 edge. The ‘Birds then went on an impressive 9-0 run to take a 14-6 advantage, marked by an Akash Grewal cross-court attack, one of her match-leading 13 kills on the night.

After cruising to the opening set win, the second saw the ‘Birds open an early 8-4 advantage. Four straight Bobcat points including one of Avery Burger’s two aces got Brandon as close as three at 13-10 only to see UBC slowly pull away once again. A Claire Cossarini block followed by a massive kill helped UBC to an 18-11 lead and a Brandon timeout.

Coming out of the break the Bobcats managed just two more points in the frame as UBC seemed to be in firm control.
 

The ‘Birds began the third on a tear, quickly breaking open a 9-2 advantage. But a series of service and attacking errors allowed Brandon back into the game, eventually tying things up 14-14 on a Megan Pickford kill which ended one of the longest rallies of the night.

UBC out hit the Bobcats .258 to .095 in the third but the Bobcats were both efficient when they needed to be and opportunistic, securing a 26-24 win to force the match to a fourth set.

The fourth saw the ‘Birds get back on track, hitting an impressive .462, by far their strongest frame of the night, closing the set on a 7-3 run.

The victory ensures UBC finishes atop the conference for the first time since 2014, a feat almost surprising given the team has won three national titles in that span.
 

“The tactical advantage of coming first is if we’re playing, we’re playing at home,” said Reimer who notes it’s an accomplishment worth celebrating. “That’s a very good feeling because we’ve been on the other side of that having to zip around western Canada, figuring out week by week not just who we play, but where we play. It’s important to pause and recognize in a really tough conference after a lot of tough matches, for a team that turned over a lot of starters from last year to have played steady enough all the way through. A lot of credit not just to the players but our assistant coaches.”

Securing first was secondary in the minds of all, however, by the end of the match as three of UBC’s seven graduating seniors – Nia Wagner, Erika Vermette and Gisella Goodger – were honoured at centre court.

“Seniors, especially when you have the volume we have with seven of them, that’s a lot of people reflecting and with friends and family here,” said Reimer who noted the emotions surrounding the weekend shortly after he led a touching ceremony at centre court. “The challenge is whether you’re senior or not, to play for them, for each other.”

UBC’s four other graduates – Kacey Jost, Danielle Price, Victoria D’Acre and Claire Cossarini – will have their spotlight moment following Saturday’s final match of the regular season. First serve between the T-Birds and Bobcats is set for 5:00 p.m. at War Memorial Gym. Tickets are available now and the match will also be streamed live on Canada West TV.