The University of British Columbia Athletics

VANCOUVER  - The No. 8 UBC Thunderbirds men's volleyball team stretched its winning streak to six games on Friday night by defeating the No. 4 Manitoba Bisons 3-2 (25-21, 24-26, 25-27, 25-21, 20-18) in a gripping back and forth match in Winnipeg. In the process, UBC also snapped a losing skid to Manitoba that dates back to Jan. 2009.
 
BOX SCORE

"It was definitely a gutsy win in a tough place to play," said UBC head coach Richard Schick. 
 
The fifth and final set of this game was a fierce fight to the finish. The Thunderbirds and the Bisons were never more than two points apart and they were tied nine times. UBC was finally able to clinch the win after Manitoba committed a service then an attacking error after the set was tied at 18.
 
The fourth looked like it belonged to the Bisons until the visitors stormed back on the strength of a strong service run of Milan Nikic (Calgary, AB).
 
Down 20-18, UBC won the next six points, a spurt that included three consecutive stuff blocks, followed by two of Nikic's four aces in the match.
 
Outside hitter Quentin Schmidt (Calgary, AB) delivered one final kill to finish off the set.
 
UBC also benefited from a run of three straight aces by Ireland in the fourth set.
 
Neither team led by more than three points in the third set, which was a heated battle that was also tied on six occasions.  Down 22-20, Manitoba clinched the set with 7-3 run.
 
The second set was another tight match as Manitoba managed to pull out a 26-24 win.
 
A 12-5 run, capped off by an Ireland kill put UBC up 20-13 in the opening set but a late Bisons rally closed the home team to within two points at 23-21 before the T-Birds won.
 
"We didn't play our best volleyball, but at the same time, in this rollercoaster match, I thought we were aggressive for most of the night, except for the end of the second and third set," said Schick.  "But in the end, I thought we were very aggressive part away through the fourth set.  We were down and we came back and we were definitely aggressive in the fifth, even though it went back and forth."
 
It was a nice homecoming for Jarrid Ireland (Winnipeg, MB) and Noah Derksen (Winnipeg, MB).
 
Ireland led the team with 17 kills while Derksen had 10 digs.
 
Schmidt had 12 kills and 10 digs. Libero Ian Perry (Abbotsford, BC) had 16 digs.
 
The two teams will play again on Saturday night at 6 p.m. in Winnipeg.

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