The University of British Columbia Athletics

Vancouver, BC - Saturday night, the UBC Thunderbirds hosted the Trinity Western Spartans for the second game of the opening weekend of conference play. After a 3-0 win Friday night, the Thunderbirds kept their momentum rolling and finished Saturday evening with a 3-1 (25-19, 23-25, 25-22, 25-19) victory over the Spartans.
 


In the first set, the Spartans began strong, finding themselves up by four early on. After a quick timeout, the 'Birds came back energized and relied on strong blocking and fierce attacks to bring the game momentum back in their favor. In the first set alone, UBC tallied 5 blocks over TWU. Lisa Barclay, Rosie Schlagintweit, and Juliana Kaufmanis had remarkable kills, expertly placing their spikes in weak areas of the TWU arrangement. Kaufmanis led with 5 kills, while Barclay and Schlagintweit both tallied 3. Kirsty Setterlund kept the Spartans guessing, consistently changing up her sets. UBC quickly began to pull away, and closed the first set 25-15 over TWU.

 
In the second set, TWU pushed back leading early in the set and looking to veteran Alicia Perrin to direct the offense. Rosie Schlagintweit opened the scoring for UBC with a kill and the 'Birds remained dynamic throughout the remainder of the set, which progressed competitively as both teams fought to gain an edge. UBC's effective communication led to smart plays, allowing TWU errors to play a significant role on the scoreboard and utilizing soft hits to throw-off the Spartan defense. After a set of tight play, the Spartans pulled ahead to win the second set 25-23.
 
In the third, UBC opened the set with a noteworthy 5-0 run. The duo of Lisa Barclay and Abbey Keeping dominated the net, as they continuously blocked Spartan attacks. Alissa Coulter and Abbey Keeping had 3 kills apiece for the 'Birds, while Casie Gano and Royal Richardson each tallied 3 for the Spartans. UBC's Lisa Barclay also contributed 6 digs. As the set progressed, the 'Birds reestablished their rhythm to down the Spartans 25-22.  
 
The fourth set proved to be a tough battle between the 'Birds and the Spartans. Each team fought to get ahead on the scoreboard and gain any advantage possible. Though the Spartans struggled to stay competitive, the 'Birds ultimately came out on top, with Lisa Barclay sending a kill over the net to give UBC a 25-19 win in the final set.
 
Lisa Barclay led the game in kills with 12, while Rosie Schlagintweit and Juliana Kaufmanis each contributed 10, and Abbey Keeping, 8. Barclay also led the game in digs, with 12, and Kirsty Setterlund wasn't far behind with 11. Alicia Perrin and Royal Richardson led the Spartans with 9 kills apiece, and Chelsea Wand led TWU digs with 9.
 
UBC will be action next weekend when they host the University of Manitoba for a two game series November 1-2.