VANCOUVER – Their set-win streak was snapped at 37, but the UBC Thunderbirds didn't let that spoil seniors night at War Memorial Gym on Friday, as they rallied to win their 19
th straight match 3-1 over Mount Royal (25-18, 33-35, 25-15, 25-16), clinching a first-round playoff bye straight to the Final Four, which they will host.
The night wasn't lacking for story lines, with the T-Birds honouring four highly-decorated seniors in their final weekend of regular season action. Then there's
Lisa Barclay, who isn't one of those seniors, but did come up with perhaps her best game of the season, hammering down 24 kills on .500 hitting.
And of course, there was the 35-33 marathon set that ended UBC's incredible streak.
“It's been a long time since we had a real long tussle like that,” said UBC head coach
Doug Reimer.
A long time indeed. Their last set loss was on November 23
rd against Regina, and that one also went beyond the traditional 25-point marker, finishing up 27-25. UBC hadn't even won a set by less than four points since November, but with a bye week and then another playoff run fast approaching, Reimer appreciated the chance to test his squad's mettle.
“Really we didn't lose that set at the end, but in the beginning and middle where we were just too sloppy. That in itself is a good lesson, and full credit to Mount Royal because they really battled there. It was really good volleyball.”
The Cougars played impeccable defence late in the third set, staving off several attacks from the 'Birds that looked like sure points with excellent positioning and even better hustle. They amassed a total of 34 digs in the set. For a little perspective on that, the team with the most digs per set this season is Manitoba, averaging just over 14.
The T-Birds had eight chances at set point, but the Cougars had the answer every time, and they finally managed to string some points together beginning with a Kylie Willis kill to make it 33-33. Mackenzie Allen then chipped in her second ace of the match to give Mount Royal the advantage, and Carolyn O'dwyer finished things off with a kill off the block.
Unfortunately for the Cougars, they may have been better off letting sleeping dogs lie. The T-Birds woke up in a big way after that loss, hitting .478 as a team in the third set, while the Cougars hit well under .100 the rest of the match.
“One set is not the end of the world,” said Reimer. “You always want to do your best, but I thought we did a great job setting the tone at the beginning of that third set. Brina (Derksen-Bergen)'s serve put us on a good run and everyone was ready to play.”
Derksen-Bergen is one of the team's four graduating players. She is leading the conference in assists by a wide margin, and added another 39 to her total on Friday, as well as a game-high 18 digs.
Shanice Marcelle, UBC's fifth-year outside hitter and former CIS MVP, had 11 kills, 12 digs and nine blocks in a fantastic all-around effort. Senior middle
Jessica von Schilling matched that blocking performance with nine of her own, adding six kills, and senior libero
Danielle Richards chipped in some key digs splitting time with
Briana Liau Kent.
“What I love about them is they are all such unique individuals who all had to overcome and persevere through various things throughout their careers,” Reimer said of his four graduating players. “And through all that they were great players and great teammates. To have the success they had on top of all that is just really special and I won't have many better memories in my coaching career than my association with those four.”
But as good as their seniors are, it was third-year left-side hitter Barclay who stole the show with 24 attacks and just two errors, adding 11 digs and a pair of blocks.
“She was real good. Front row, back row, just so steady,” said Reimer. “Hitting .500 with 24 kills, you really can't ask for anything more out of a hitter, so that was really important for us and a great job for her.”
UBC remains a game up on second-place Trinity Western in the standings, and since the teams split their head-to-head series this year, the 'Birds have first place locked up by virtue of their stellar sets won-lost record, which would be the tiebreaker if necessary.
The 'Birds and Cougars wrap up the regular season on Saturday starting at 5 p.m.
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