Calgary, AB - One night after being defeated in straight sets, the UBC Thunderbirds bounced back with a much-needed win against the University of Calgary Dinos on Saturday night. Set scores were 25-21, 25-22, and 25-22 in favour of the visiting Thunderbirds.
UBC would have three Calgary natives start in the match against their hometown Dinos – Mac McNicol, setter Milan Nikic, and left-side Quentin Schmidt.
McNicol, in his third year with the Thunderbirds, once again led the Thunderbirds with 10 kills through the three-set match.
Nikic distributed the ball effectively and efficiently in the match, being credited for 34 assists as the starting setter for the Thunderbirds.
"[Tonight] we came in with confidence," said Nikic, who also led the Thunderbirds with seven digs. "We did what we needed to do to get the win."
UBC middle Chris Howe had one of his best showings as a Thunderbird on Saturday evening. Earning seven kills on just 10 attempts and being involved in seven UBC blocks, Howe followed close behind McNicol with 11.0 total points. Fellow middle Alex Russell also was efficient on the offensive end, tallying six kills on 10 attempts.
A complete turnaround from Friday's match, where the Thunderbirds at points seemed out of sorts on the court, Saturday night was one filled with confidence and consistency for the Thunderbirds.
"Last night we lost the serve and receive game, and we knew that it would come down to that tonight," said Howe. "We won that battle tonight by limiting our passing and serving errors while still staying aggressive."
Howe is third in conference blocks with 1.19 blocks per set. His 105 blocks this season fall just shy of his 114 in the 2012-2013 Canada West season, while his 41% attack efficiency this season is the best of his three-year CIS career.
While all three sets in the match were fairly tight throughout, the Thunderbirds were able to minimize their errors and capitalize on opportunities at key points down the stretch.
"I think [tonight] was the best that we have followed the game plan this season, which made the difference," said McNicol.
Second-year left-side Irvan Brar entered the game late in the first set, and made an impact from thereon out. Brar confidently tallied eight kills on 14 attempts and made six digs in the match.
The UBC victory gives the Thunderbirds a record of 11-11, and effectively ends Calgary's season. The Dinos, who have a bye next weekend, will end the regular season with an 11-13 record. Four teams now sit tied for the seventh and final playoff position with 11 wins, and all except Calgary play two matches next weekend to close out the regular season.
"As a team we stayed engaged throughout the match," said Howe. "That showed by us taking care of the little things like covering and block stability. It's great to see our team back to playing with an edge as we go into our last weekend."
UBC will return home to War Memorial Gymnasium to host a 2-20 University of Regina team in the last two games of the 2014-2015 regular season.
"Confidence is high, but we know that our work is far from over this season," said Howe, who, along with fellow fifth-years Schmidt and libero Ian Perry, will play his last career matches in UBC's War Memorial Gymnasium "We have no illusions of what we need to do as a team next weekend – every set matters."
