T-Birds drop five set thriller to Cascades

Abbotsford, B.C. – In a clash of two extremely talented teams, it was the U SPORTS No. 6 ranked UFV Cascades (7-3) that came out victorious over the No. 1 ranked UBC Thunderbirds (9-1) on Saturday in Abbotsford. The two teams battled all night with set scores of 25-21, 21-25, 26-24, 20-25, and 21-19, as the Cascades delivered the final blow to give UBC their first loss of the year.

Cascades outside hitter Gabrielle Attieh joined elite company early in the fifth set, as she notched her 1000^th Canada West kill against her former team.

As it happened: 
The teams traded runs back and forth in the opening set, but a pair of kills from Lauren Attieh helped give UFV a 20-17 lead in the late stages. UBC pulled back within one after an Emma Doyon kill, but a Gabrielle Attieh kill and a Kinna Fisher ace set up Talia Attieh to end the set 25-21.

UBC grabbed an early lead in the second after a pair of kills from Katrina Pantovic made it 11-8, and kills from Lucy Borowski and Danielle Price in the late stages made it 23-16. UFV found a late run to pull it back, but UBC held on to finish the set with two Borowski kills.

Gabrielle Attieh found four early kills in the third, as the Cascades went ahead 13-8. The Thunderbirds clawed at the UFV advantage throughout the remainder of the set and eventually squared it at 24 on a block from Issy Robertshaw and Claire Cossarini. UFV would bounce back, forcing an error, and nabbing a kill to take it.

A Kylee Glanville kill and service run gave the Thunderbirds a 16-12 lead in the fourth, and Borowski found two kills and a block late in the set to force a decisive fifth.

UFV’s Gabrielle Attieh got the crowd on it’s feet early in the fifth, as she knocked home her 1000^th career Canada West kill early on, but the Thunderbirds stormed back to take a 6-4 lead. The Cascades leveled the score at nine apiece, before a Kinna Fisher ace and a block from Talia Attieh and Natalie Crews put them ahead once again. Gabrielle Attieh secured an ace and a kill to put UFV on the precipice of victory, but the top-ranked team in the nation showed their resilience scoring four straight on the strength of two Borowski kills to take a 15-14 lead. Both teams struggled to strike a decisive blow in the final stretch, but kills from Talia and Lauren Attieh gave the Cascades just enough to seal the match 21-19.
 

Top performers: 
UFV’s Talia Attieh finished the match with a team-high 15 kills and added five blocks, while Gabrielle Attieh added 14 kills, 18 digs, and three aces. Cascades setter Kinna Fisher posted three aces, 15 digs, and 47 assists in the win.

Lucy Borowski led the Thunderbirds with 20 kills and 19 digs on the night, while Claire Cossarini posted seven blocks, and Issy Robertshaw notched 40 assists.

Up next:
The Cascades head to Brandon to take on the Bobcats next Friday and Saturday, while UBC returns home to face the Calgary Dinos in Vancouver on December 1 and 2.  All matches can be seen live on Canada West TV.