T-Birds earn straight-sets victory over the Heat

VANCOUVER – The UBC Thunderbirds (13-2) fought through three tight sets to take down the UBC Okanagan Heat (8-7) 3-0 (25-19, 25-22, 26-24) at War Memorial Gym, and are now tied for first place in the ultra-competitive Canada West.
 
Erika Vermette led the ‘Birds with 12 kills and added nine digs and two blocks, Elise Petit put up 10 kills and eight digs, Brynn Pasin served up five aces, while Lucy Borowski came into the match and earned five kills on five attacks in the straight-sets win.
 

WVB | Three. Straight. Sets! @ubcwvb1 keep it going in the new year and get a straight set win over @UBCOHeatWVBall, they meet again tomorrow at 5. #GoBirdsGo pic.twitter.com/KR13bOUFl0

— UBC Thunderbirds (@ubctbirds) January 14, 2023

“Overall, the two right-side hitters gave us a lot of offensive production tonight,” said UBC head coach Doug Reimer. “I thought UBCO did a good job slowing down our middles, and I think for a while there wasn’t much flow to the match. It felt almost lethargic at times, with a number of longer rallies, and it seemed like we were feeling each other out for a while. I thought Brynn was our steadiest server, and the importance of having good passers was key. All those little things at the end of the day make the difference. I would say we had pretty good composure at the end of the third set, but our expectation is for more consistent and steadier play throughout.”  
 
Jade Bussard had a team-high eight kills for UBCO, Sydney Grills added seven kills, and Madison Gardner racked up five aces with six kills in the loss.

 
In the opening set, Rayn Perry cranked a kill from the left side to bring the visitors within one at 13-12 and the Heat took a 16-14 lead on a Gardner kill. The ‘Birds battled back to even the score at 17-17 and reclaimed an 18-17 edge with a Pasin ace. Back-to-back T-Bird blocks extended the lead to 24-19 and Vermette capped off the set with a kill at 25-19.
 
UBCO jumped out to an 8-4 second set lead after a strong serving run by Gardner before Kayla Oxland made it a one-point game with a kill. A Pasin ace knotted it up at 11-11 and the two teams traded blows until Akash Grewal unloaded on a kill for a 22-20 lead and Vermette followed it up with another monster kill and a three-point advantage. UBC held steady, as Pasin put away the second set with a decisive block at 25-22.

 
A pair of Gardner aces lifted the Heat to a narrow 10-8 lead and a Natalie Funk tip maintained the UBCO lead at 20-17. Down 22-19, the T-Birds went on a crucial 4-0 run – as Grewal evened it up at 22-22 and briefly gave UBC a lead at 23-22. Tied at 24-24, a UBCO error and a Petit kill sealed the set for the ‘Birds, 26-24.
 
The Thunderbirds will look to extend their win streak to six matches on Saturday night in the series finale against the Heat at 5:00 p.m. (PT) inside War Memorial Gym.