It was a tough night for the UBC Thunderbirds, as they were close in multiple sets but unable to get over the hump in a loss to the Trinity Western Spartans (25-22, 25-23, 25-18).
Reeve Gingera and Dawson Pratt both landed nine kills for the visitors, while Mason Greves put up 35 assists, four digs and two aces. First-year middle blocker Alex Emery made his first career start, and he recorded a very efficient seven kills on a .667 hitting percentage.
Piers De Greeff was also very efficient on the side of the Spartans with 10 kills and five digs while hitting .571. John Obi added 10 kills and four blocks as TWU hit .373 as a team through the three sets.
The T-Birds were firing offensively in the first, as they recorded 16 kills in the frame, including four each from Gingera and Gavin Moes. But while they were able to jump out to a 7-3 lead, the Spartans also found their groove on the offensive side and soon took the lead for themselves.
Never down by more than four points in the set, the Thunderbirds fought hard to stave off elimination (including winning two TWU set points), but they eventually fell 25-22.
The second set was somewhat similar to the first, with both teams putting up some strong attacking numbers. UBC actually hit slightly more efficiently than the home team in the set, which hung in the balance with a 22-22 tie late on.
Sadly, it was not to be for the T-Birds, as some critical service mishaps cost them the chance to either win the set or at least push it past 25 points.
It was the Spartans who came out strong in the third, leading 8-3 in the early going. While the Thunderbirds fought hard, they could never quite close the gap as the home side closed out the victory.
UBC has the chance to exact some measure of revenge on Saturday night, as they take on the Spartans at home in a rematch. That rivalry clash begins at 6:00 p.m. (PT) at War Memorial Gym.