The UBC Thunderbirds battled back from two sets down to defeat the Calgray Dinos 3-2 (22-25; 19-25; 25-23; 25-13; 19-17) at the Athletics and Recreation Centre (ARC) in Kingston, Ontario to advance to the Queen's University Coast-to-Coast Classic championship match.
Even after bouncing back from trailing Calgary by two sets, winning this semi-final match seemed out of reach again for UBC after the Thunderbirds fell behind 12-8 in the fifth set. But UBC ultimately persevered in a see-saw duel against the Dinos, winning the decisive set in extra points, 19-17.
From the third set on, UBC rotated in players off the bench who were instrumental in the Thunderbirds comeback. Rookie hitter
Noah Derksen (Winnipeg, MB) contributed 9 kills, 8 digs, and a solo block, impressing head coach
Richard Schick to say, "He really stepped up and made key plays down the stretch for us, which really was the difference. He made some key slow downs at the net, which we were able to transition into key make-up points down the stretch in that fifth set."
Chris Klassen (Vancouver, BC) played a key role substituting starting setter
Milan Nikic (Calgary, AB) after the second set, going on to collect 26 assists, 8 digs, and 2 blocks. Schick noted, "He was huge for us, he really calmed down the guys out there and distributed the ball extremely well against a very tough Dino squad."
Fifth-year hitter
Tanner Kozak (Vernon, BC) and rookie Sjur Godø (Kristiansund, Norway) paced the Thunderbirds' attack, both earning a team-high 12 kills.
In the Coast-to-Coast Classic tournament final on Sunday, Oct. 16, UBC faces the Alberta Golden Bears starting at 10:00 AM Pacific Time at Queen's University's Athletics and Recreation Centre.
