VANCOUVER – The Mount Royal Cougars became only the second team this season to win at least two sets against UBC when they downed the Thunderbirds to begin Saturday's match, but the 'Birds stormed back to earn their 20th straight victory by a score of 3-1 (28-30, 25-12, 25-21, 25-17) at War Memorial Gym.
BOX SCORE
The match followed a similar pattern to Friday's clash between these teams, when the Cougars ended UBC's streak of 37 straight set-wins in a grueling second set that ended 35-33, only to get steamrolled by the No. 1 'Birds the rest of the way.
On Saturday it was the first set that went the extra mile, with the Cougars eventually pulling off the win, but again it just seemed to wake the up the defending champs. After hitting .208 in the first set, UBC hit at least .333 in each of the final three sets while holding the Cougars to a .166 team hitting percentage.
And again it was
Lisa Barclay pacing the T-Birds' attack, blasting 24 kills through the defence on .319 hitting. For the series, she had 48 kills and hit over .400.
“To win championships you need to have steady, consistent attacking, especially from your outside hitters because they are going to get a lot of volume when you're out of system, and we are getting that from Lisa for sure. Back to back nights, that's important,” said UBC head coach
Doug Reimer.
UBC's four graduating players all had big games as well to cap off seniors weekend. Left side hitter
Shanice Marcelle had 13 kills and nine digs, and setter
Brina Derksen-Bergen was all over the stats page with 44 assists, 19 digs, three aces and even five kills.
Reimer, however, was quick to point out all the plays they made which may not get attention the way 20-plus kills do, but are equally valuable to a team in pursuit of a sixth straight CIS title.
“Brina had all those other contributions, all those touches that don't make the stats sheet. Same for Shanice. Getting so many touches and saving balls that don't show up in the stats, but they provide flow and continuity of play,” Reimer said.
Jessica von Schilling had five kills and three blocks in the middle in what may be her final regular season game as a T-Bird, and fifth-year libero
Danielle Richards brushed off a tough start to dig up 13 balls and add eight assists while usual starter
Briana Liau Kent got some extra rest.
“After the first set and a half, she was playing well,” Reimer said of Richards. “It's never easy to just be put in there, but it was rewarding for her and great for us. It's good heading forward to have that feeling of depth.”
But as good as the seniors were, leave it to a rookie to try and steal the spotlight. Freshman outside hitter
Danielle Brisebois subbed on late in the fourth set and made the most of her opportunity, blasting three straight aces right down the middle of the court to end the match.
“That was great for her. Yesterday she missed a serve near the end of that long set, but she finished really well today,” Reimer said. “Our starters have been very steady but to have some options to bring in is really good.”
Carolyn O'dwyer led the Cougars with 14 kills, and Fallon Middlemiss had a fantastic two-way game, with 10 kills and 14 digs.
The loss drops Mount Royal to 14-8 and out of fourth place in the Canada West standings, narrowly missing out on a chance to host a playoff series in their first season of CIS action. They finish fifth, and will play at UBC Okanagan next weekend.
The Thunderbirds finish the year 21-1, and will have a bye through to the Final Four, which they will host in two weeks. The top three finishers at the Final Four will move on to the CIS tournament.
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