Files from TWU Sports Information
LANGLEY, BC – The UBC Thunderbirds got off to a quality start in the opening contest of the Spartans Holiday Classic, garnering a 3-0 (25-22, 28-26, 25-23) win over no. 8 ranked Dalhousie Monday afternoon.
The Thunderbirds utilized a huge rally in the third set, coming back from a 17-11 deficit to get the 25-23 win, and a decided attacking advantage – hitting 26.0 per cent to 12.6 per cent – to knock off the Tigers and move on to the semifinal where they'll play the winner of Calgary/UBC-O Tuesday at 6:00 p.m.
"Good for our guys in the first match back after the break. We had a good week of training in preparation for this and then today we had a lot of contributions from a lot of different guys," said UBC head coach
Richard Schick. "We overcame a pair of deficits - we did a good job of earning points. Overall it was a solid effort from everybody this afternoon and we're hoping for more of the same tomorrow.."
The Tigers got off to a fast start in the match, staking themselves to a 13-8 lead in the first set. But then UBC found its groove. The T-Birds inched back into the game until they finally took the lead at 18-17. UBC then pushed their advantage to as big as five points, 24-19, before eventually taking the opening set 25-22.
The second set was a topsy-turvy one as UBC started with control, leading 14-11 midway through, but then, with the game tied 17-17, Dalhousie snatched momentum back, going on a 7-4 run to put the Tigers on the verge of victory with a 24-21 advantage.
It was then, with first-year
Ben Chow leading the T-Birds – he finished the set with a team-high six kills – UBC roared back with a 7-2 run to win 28-26.
In the third and final set, it once again it looked like Dalhousie would push the contest beyond the minimum as they had a commanding 17-11 lead. This time, UBC rallied for the second straight set, wrapping things up in shorter order, 25-23.
The T-Birds
Ben Chow finished with a game high 13 kills while
Ian Perry had 31 assists and
Jeff Ross had two blocks.
Tanner Kozak also hit double digits with 10 kills and libero
Blair Bann led the team with 14 digs.
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