LANGLEY - The UBC Thunderbirds (4-0) were pushed to their limit on Saturday night by the Trinity Western Spartans, however, the two-time defending CIS Champions had just enough as they earned a thrilling 3-2 victory (25-22, 25-27, 26-24, 26-28, 15-13) in Langley.
"Tonight was a long, very close and exciting match which was such a different feeling than last night," said UBC head coach
Doug Reimer. "It was a match where we didn't bring individual and team consistency the whole night but at some point all of our players stepped up and we are happy with the win."
UBC took control early in the fifth and decisive set with a 5-1 run to start the frame, however, TWU fought all the way back and used a four-point run to even the score at 12-12. Fifth-year outside
Liz Cordonier took over for the T-Birds down the stretch, as three kills gave over the final four points gave UBC the 15-13 win.
In a match that saw four of the five sets decided by just two points, there was little give from either team as they battled for each and every point.
Cordonier led UBC with 16 kills and chipped in with 13 digs.
Jen Hinze tallied 12 kills with six block assists while
Kyla Richey had 11 kills and seven block assists.
TWU was led by Kara Jansen Van Doorn with 25 kills on 58 attempts in addition to a match-high 17 digs.
"Kudos to Trinity as they had a number of big performances tonight. It was a good test for us and it gives us good incentive to train hard as we go forward," added Reimer.
The first set was arguably the most lopsided of the match as UBC led from the first technical timeout and won 25-22.
The Spartans took the second set in come from behind fashion. After seeing UBC go on a five-point run to secure a 22-20 lead, the hosts responded with a four point run thanks to a kill and three straight blocks to take a 24-22 lead. UBC fought back but the Spartans eventually took the set 27-25.
The third set saw TWU gain a similar 24-22 advantage and this time UBC came all the way back to take it 26-24.
It was a case of deja vu in the third set as Trinity let a 24-22 slip away but much like the second frame they did enough to earn a 28-26 advantage.
The T-Birds are on a bye this week before returning to the court on the road against Saskatchewan on November 13 and 14.
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