EDMONTON - The MacEwan Griffins fought off four match points in the fifth set to defeat the UBC Thunderbirds 3-2 (25-22, 25-22, 14-25, 21-25, 16-14) Saturday evening in Edmonton.

Down two sets to none, the UBC Thunderbirds finally started to get things going in the right direction in the third set, cruising to a 25-14 win. In the fourth set, they never trailed winning 25-21. Then in the fifth set the Thunderbirds went up 14-10 and looked prime for victory, however the pesky Griffins would refuse to give up, taking advantage of UBC's mistakes and fighting off four match points. In fact they would win six straight points to win the fifth and deciding set 16-14. Jessica Brown's strong serving on the six straight points was key. With the victory the Griffins improve to 2-0 on the season, while the Thunderbirds start the year 0-2.

"Tonight was very frustrating to have battled back and then not being able to finish," said UBC head coach Doug Reimer. "There is a lot of work to do, but there were several strong performances. Laura MacTaggart in her first real sustained action was effective and brought good energy to our group."
 
Fresh off a five-set victory Friday night, MacEwan picked up where they left off Saturday night. Trading points in the early stages of the first set, the Thunderbirds pull away on the strength of Rosie Schlagintweit who posted four kills and a solo block in the opening set. The Griffins clawed back into the set with seven straight points on Christina Campbell's serve earning the 20-18 lead and eventually taking the set 25-22.

The Griffins opened up an early lead in the second set and were able to close out the set 25-22. Dakota Wilson had a strong set picking up four kills for the Griffins.

In the third set, the tides shifted in favour of the Birds, who took the set 25-14. Alissa Coulter was a presence posting three kills and one ace in the set.

With a 25-21 fourth set win the Thunderbirds pushed the match to a fifth and deciding set. The Griffins committed nine team errors in the set, while Juliana Kaufmanis had a pair of aces and a block to pace the Thunderbirds.

The Thunderbirds continued their momentum in the deciding set, opening up an 8-3 lead. But the Griffins would not be denied, clawing back to earn the victory 16-14. The Griffins scored the final six points of the match on the strength of Brown's serve.

The Thunderbirds will be back in the friendly confines of War Memorial Gymnasium next weekend for their regular season home opener October 17-18 against Mount Royal University. Both games will be played at 6 p.m. PT.