REGINA – The No. 1-ranked University of British Columbia Thunderbirds won the fourth and fifth sets to record a come-from-behind 3-2 (17-25, 25-13, 18-25, 25-20, 15-12) victory over the Regina Cougars on Friday night in a Canada West match at the Centre for Kinesiology, Health & Sport.
"We had a fair amount of inconsistent play but we pulled it together enough to get the W," said UBC boss
Doug Reimer. " We were certainly showing some of that early January rust but also a lot of credit to Regina. They played hard and pushed us significantly. Hopefully we learned some lessons and can become more consistent and a bit smoother tomorrow night".
Ranked No. 4 in the CIS, the Cougars opened up the contest with a 25-17 win in the first set. UBC responded in a big way in the second, winning 25-13 to square the match at one set apiece. The back-and-forth continued as Regina pulled ahead taking the third set 25-18, but the Thunderbirds were able to come through in the clutch.
The turning point of the match came late in the fourth. Trailing 19-18 and following a 6-1 run by the Cougars, UBC scored seven of the set's final eight points to force a fifth and deciding frame. The Thunderbirds relied on a run again in the final frame scoring six consecutive points midway through the set on their way to a 15-12 win to clinch the victory.
Liz Cordonier had a match-high 16 kills for UBC and added 11 digs for a double-double.
Shanice Marcelle also counted for double figures on offence and defence for the Thunderbirds, collecting 14 digs and 12 kills.
Katie Tyzuk had 43 assists for UBC, while
Jessica von Schilling had a team-high .357 hitting percentage.
Four Cougars notched double-digits in kills, including Beth Clark (14), Kaitlyn Hughes (14), Meagan Onstad (11), and Meagan Smith (10). Onstad (11 kills, 10 digs) and Tiffany Herman (46 assists, 14 digs) both recorded double-doubles for Regina, while libero Rebecca Rink led all players with a career-high 15 digs.
The win improves UBC's record to an unblemished 10-0 on the season, while the Cougars fall to 6-3.
The two teams square off again on Saturday night at the CKHS at 8 p.m. following the men's match.
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