KAMLOOPS - The UBC Thundebirds men's volleyball team turned the tables on the host Thompson Rivers University WolfPack, by beating them in an exhibition match on Friday, a night after the WolfPack scored a victory in Vernon.
The set scores on Friday night were: 25-19, 27-25, 25-20
The first set saw UBC go on a four point run to take a 5-2 lead. With the score 10-6, TRU setter Colin Carson stepped in and got three straight points to cut the deficit to one. But errors at the net and in communication on behalf of the WolfPack saw UBC score six straight points at 18-12 to take a lead they would never relinquish.
The second set was closer. The teams battled point for point from the start.
In the third, the WolfPack had tied it up at 8 before falling behind by at least a point. When it was 16-14, UBC scored five consecutive points to put it away.
The Thunderbirds were led by
David Zeyha (Grande Prairie, AB) with eight kills in 24 chances.
Jarrid Irland (Winnipeg, MB) had seven kills in 17 chances with two digs.
"We played a more consistent line up," said UBC head coach
Richard Schick, who fielded pre-determined line ups that stayed the same regardless of the score on Thursday night in Vernon. "That group played extremely well together and we really took care of the ball. Our first contact, and serving and passing was a lot better than the night before. It was nice to see the guys play and compete the way they did."
TRU's offensive weapon was Chris Osborne (Phoenix, AZ). He had some key hits notching 10 kills in 23 chances with two digs, a solo block and a block assist.
With its annual preseason Okanagan tour done, the team will now enjoy a team retreat at a cabin near Merritt before playing its next exhibition match on September 27th against Trinity Western in Abbotsford.
- with files from Thompson Rivers Sports Information
