VANCOUVER - The UBC Thunderbirds got some good performances out of their young guns on Friday, but it wasn't enough to slow the No. 2 Manitoba Bisons, who picked up a 3-0 win (25-22, 25-19, 25-19) over the 'Birds at War Memorial Gym.
The T-Birds jumped out to a 9-3 lead in the first set thanks to some solid blocking, but the Bisons boast the top blocking unit in Canada West, and they eventually wrestled control of the match from the home side.
The Bisons posted five blocks in the first set, and Dane Pischke led them from behind with five kills and six digs in the first, including a kill on set point.
The Manitoba middles really went to work in the second, earning 10 blocks in the frame despite the efforts of UBC's
Jarrid Ireland and
David Zeyha. Both playing their first season for the T-Birds, Zeyha and Ireland knew they were in tough against the top blocking team in the conference, but both managed to keep producing offence at a steady pace and keep UBC competitive throughout the match.
"The effort definitely is there, and I thought some of our guys really came to play," said UBC head coach
Richard Schick. "I thought Jarrid had an outstanding game. He's not a real emotional guy out there but I thought that was probably one of his better matches. I thought Zeyha as well did a really good job attacking the ball, and they both were really good today even when everyone in the gym knew where it was going and the blockers were keying on them."
Ireland continued his strong performance through the third set, racking up another six kills to finish the night tied for the match-high with 13. Manitoba veterans Pischke and Chris Voth proved too much to handle in the end though, each coming up with four kills in the third to finish UBC off.
"Good teams do a lot of good things, and that's what they did," Schick said of the Bisons. "We let them back into it a few times, not necessarily because of their block, but just missing some opportunities, but at the same time they played very well."
Pischke led the Bisons with 13 kills on .393 hitting and had a match-high 13 digs, while contributing on defence with five block assists.
Voth had nine kills, and Joseph Brooks finished with two solo blocks and five block assists.
Zeyha wound up with nine kills for UBC on .412 hitting. Rookie setter
Milan Nikic had 31 assists, seven digs and a pair of kills.
UBC falls to 8-5 on the year while the Bisons move to 12-1. The teams clash again on Saturday at 7 p.m. to wrap up the series at War Memorial Gym.
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