EDMONTON – With an impressive four set victory over the host Alberta Golden Bears Friday night (25-22, 25-21, 14-25, 25-16), the UBC Thunderbirds earned a seventh straight match win to move into a tie for first place in the Canada West.
Reeve Gingera paced the way for the ‘Birds with 17 kills while Gavin Moes put up 15 along with 10 digs as UBC handed Alberta their first conference loss in 2024, snapping a seven-match win streak.
“It was nice to see us go up against a top opponent in our conference and put together a consistent, clean victory,” said UBC head coach Mike Hawkins. “Obviously they pushed back in the third set and I think we allowed the moment to get he best of us. But the way the guys showed the resilience and the way to bounce back in the fourth, and ultimately come out with a decisive four set win.”
Opening up the freezing cold Friday night at Edmonton’s Saville Centre with back-to-back set wins to push the No. 2 ranked Bears against the wall, the hosts responded with a convincing bounce back third set win, 25-14.
But cue that T-Birds resiliency as UBC responded with an impressive fourth which saw the visitors post a .500 attack.
“I think it shows the growth and maturation of this group,” added Hawkins. “We still have some growing pains and learning to go through, but day in, day out it seems like this group is improving and laying the bricks down for us to have a long run this season. Although we have many more games, what’s more important is how we play, not necessarily the outcome, the wins and losses. Tonight I think was just another example of the growth of this group.”
The T-Birds will look for their eighth straight win Saturday when they once again battle the Bears. First serve at the Saville Centre is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. PT. The game will be streamed live on Canada West TV.