The University of British Columbia Athletics

VANCOUVER - The No. 1-ranked UBC Thunderbirds women's volleyball team went to the limit to defeat the Winnipeg Wesmen in five sets (25-18, 22-25, 25-13, 20-25, 17-15) on Saturday evening to extend its winning streak to eight games.
 
BOX SCORE

UBC finally put away the determined Winnipeg squad by winning the final four points of the fifth set, a run aided by three Wesmen attack errors on a service run by Abbey Keeping.

Winnipeg took a quick three-point lead to open the set before the 'Birds tied the set, 7-7. Three huge kills from Rosie Schlagintweit and Lisa Barclay helped UBC get back into a rhythm and gain their first lead of the set, 10-9.

Barclay led the T-Birds with 22 kills and 21 digs while Schlagintweit had 15 kills.

In the first set, play began evenly between the teams. Schlagintweit was vital on the net, both by blocking and by sending over strategic attacks for the 'Birds. UBC began to pull away in the middle of the set, using a 9-2 outburst to go ahead 17-9, a lead it maintained for the remainder of the set. At setter, Kirsty Setterlund was crucial to the success of UBC's outside hitters, who capitalized on free balls and soft hits from the Wesmen.

In the second, the momentum shifted in the Wesmen's favour, building a 19-13 advantage. A Schlagintweit kill pulled UBC to within two points (21-19) but the team couldn't pull any closer.
 
The Thunderbirds came out rejuvenated in the third, utilizing an early momentum to take a dominant lead. Just a few minutes into the set, UBC found themselves up 9-2 with no intention of losing their advantage. Barclay remained aggressive on attack, tallying 17 kills by the end of the third set. This lead only increased as the set went on, and after a strategic kill by Danielle Brisebois, UBC clinched a dominant set win, 25-12.
 
The fourth set commenced with an early Winnipeg lead. Winnipeg used this momentum stay in the set as UBC regained their rhythm. Play became extremely competitive as both teams fought to gain the lead while simultaneously struggled with serving errors. Ultimately, Winnipeg was able to pull ahead and the Wesmen took the fourth set, 25-20.
 
WIth the victory, UBC remains undefeated after eight regular season matches. Next weekend, the 'Birds will host the University of Calgary Dinos at War Memorial Gymnasium. Games will be at 1 p.m. (PST) both Saturday and Sunday.           
The Winnipeg Wesmen will travel to UBC Okanagan next weekend to take on the Heat in a two-game series.
 
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