VANCOUVER – The UBC Thunderbirds came out red-hot on Friday and the Regina Cougars couldn't cool them down, as the 'Birds rolled to a 3-0 win (25-14, 25-23, 25-18) at War Memorial Gym.
BOX SCORE
UBC hit a scorching .636 in the first set while siding out on 100 per cent of their chances. The 'Birds only needed 22 attacks to get the win, with Quentin Schimdt and
Jarrid Ireland combining for 10 kills on 15 attacks.
The Cougars gave UBC some trouble in the second though, thanks mostly to their middle blockers who were shut out in the first but had six blocks in set two. Marco Vargas had five, including two solo blocks.
But after one of those blocks tied the set at 23, UBC got a big kill from middle blocker
Alex Russell and then a great shot down the line from Schmidt on set point.
“We were very efficient in that first set,” said UBC head coach
Richard Schick. “Never seen us 100 per cent side out before. But we let off the gas a little bit in the second set and we can't do that.”
Schick's boys made up for a softer second set by turning the offence back on full-blast in the third. They hit .429 in the third set to finish with a .393 team mark for the game.
“We feel we have to bring out best game all the time. We're not at the same level as some of the teams in the country yet, and if we don't bring our best we have a very good chance of losing,” said Schick. “Every coach will say they want to see a consistent level of play from their team and other than that second set I thought we did that tonight.”
The T-Bird middle blockers also responded to the Cougars' resurgence in the second set by going on a tear early in the third. Russell had two straight blocks and then a kill to make it 9-5, and shortly after, his fellow middle
Chris Howe put together his own string of points to put the 'Birds up 12-7.
Quentin Schmidt finished with a game-high 15 kills on .560 hitting to lead the UBC offence.
Jarrid Ireland had a big two-way game on the outside, adding nine kills and a match-high 16 digs, along with three blocks.
But Schick was quick to highlight the performances that didn't show up on the stats sheet as key to the team's success Friday. Rob Gotch was one of those crucial role players off the bench, coming in late in all three sets to make big contributions.
“Gotch going in and making those serves at the end of the first set, passing some balls well in the second set, and then finishing the third – that's a lot and it goes a long way for us,” Schick said.
The win moves UBC to 5-4 on the season, above .500 for the first time since opening with an upset win over Trinity Western. Regina falls to 1-8.
The teams go head to head again on Saturday at War Memorial to wrap up the series, this time starting at 7 p.m.
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