WINNIPEG - The no. 1 UBC Thunderbirds faced their stiffest challenge of the season on Saturday night, battling the no. 3 Manitoba Bisons in Manitoba's home gym with the 2010 Canada West Championship on the line. The result ended in UBC's favour but the path to their second straight Canada West title and a perfect conference season followed an unfamiliar path.
After racing out to 2-0 lead, by way of identical 25-17 set scores, and a comfortable 16-9 advantage in the first set, the visiting T-Birds appeared to have one hand on their second straight conference title.
But the host Bisons proved a worth adversary as they battled back from the huge deficit with numerous unexpected runs to push the title game to a fifth and deciding set.
UBC opened the door for Manitoba with a swoon in the third and fourth sets, which Manitoba won 25-23 and 25-20, but the veteran T-Birds promptly closed it in the final frame leading from start to finish en route to a 15-8 decision.
"As they say, 'it ain't over until it's over'," said UBC head coach
Doug Reimer. "We knew it would be a bit of a slugfest but it took awhile to materialize that way."
The T-Birds out paced the Bisons in almost every statistical category but it was their dominance at the net that led them to the win on Saturday.
Converting on offence became an issue for the T-Birds when Manitoba made their moves in the third and fourth set, but UBC's 18 total blocks, compared to just four by Manitoba, gave them a distinct advantage in the fifth set.
Middles
Jessica von Schilling and
Jen Hinze led the T-Bird blocking effort, picking up two solo blocks and 16 block assists. Hinze was also one of UBC's most consistent attackers with 11 kills on .296 hitting.
Canada West MVP
Liz Cordonier led all attackers with 16 kills and a .308 hitting percentage, including a number of big swings early in the fifth that gave UBC a buffer they never relinquished.
Shanice Marcelle also had a solid day for the T-Birds, adding 14 kills and a team-high 12 digs.
The T-Birds faced very little opposition over the opening two frames, taking comfortable leads before closing out each set by a score of 25-17.
It appeared the script for the third set would follow the same path, however, after going down 16-9, the Bisons mounted an inspired rally. They pulled even at 17-17 before finally going ahead late in the frame to win 25-23.
UBC jumped out to a 10-6 lead in the fourth, however, the hosts came back again and took control with a five-point run in the middle of the set en route to the 25-20 decision.
Kate Wasyliw and Ashley Voth led the Bisons with 12 and 11 kills each, while Manitoba libero Nicole Hall added a game-high 20 digs, many of which came during those third and fourth sets.
"There is a lot of credit that goes to both teams tonight with the way we started and then the battle from Manitoba," added Reimer. "They didn't make many errors from the end of the third set and through the fourth while playing at a very high level. It was a big positive for us to get back that momentum in the fifth once it had swung in their favour."
The win gave UBC their 22nd straight victory this conference campaign as they went a perfect 20-0 during the regular season before a 3-1 win over Regina last night put them into the CW final. Stretching back to last season, UBC has now won 37 straight conference and post-season CIS games.
UBC now turns their focus to defending their back-to-back CIS national titles next weekend in Edmonton. The tournament draw will be released over the next few days but the 'Birds, who were the no. 1 ranked team all season, will most certainly occupy the top seed.
Manitoba and Regina, who beat Trinity Western 3-2 in the CW bronze medal game, will also make the trip to Edmonton.
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