EDMONTON – The No. 5 UBC Thunderbirds fell victim to service errors as the No. 2 Alberta Golden Bears cashed in with a straight-sets victory (25-22, 26-24, 25-15) to continue their perfect season Saturday night at Saville Community Sports Centre.
 
Ryley Barnes had a game-high 15 kills and added an ace while three different Bears (John Goranson, Ryan Nickifor, and Taylor Arnett) drilled eight kills apiece. Team captain Brett Walsh continued to be top dollar with 41 assists on the night, his CIS-leading average now sitting at 11.81 assists per set.
 
Contributing for the T-Birds was third-year outside hitter Irvan Brar (Surrey, B.C.), depositing 12 kills while setters Byron Keturakis (Surrey, B.C.) and Milan Nikic (Calgary) recorded totals of 15 and 12 assists respectively.
 
As a sign of things to come, the first point of the game came off a Brar error at the service line and Keturakis joined the struggle for Alberta's third point of the match.
 
The Bears offence used that momentum to come at UBC in waves with Goranson netting four kills, Arnett spinning three, and Nickifor also hitting a trio. Brar countered for the T-Birds with a set-high seven. The Surrey, B.C. native put up the last three points by UBC to keep the score close, but a two-hit error gave Alberta the 1-0 set lead.
 
Fortunately for the road squad, a Barnes service error started a 6-0 run to pull the Thunderbirds back within one midway through the second set. Brar continued with his clutch points to help the visitors equalize the scoreboard at 24, but a Nikic serve going long and Brar's next attempt hitting the antenna put the Bears up by two and moved things to a third set.
 
The CIS and Canada West two-time defending champions forged ahead in the final set, opening with an 11-3 run. The 41 per cent attack percentage in the third set by the Bears, combined with the hardship UBC was facing, made the score 20-10 and the result seemed inevitable.
 
Brar gave his team one last chance with a low kill to make it 24-15 but his subsequent serve went straight into the net to end the game.
 
The 18-0 Bears head on the road next weekend to face off against the Regina Cougars while the 10-6 T-Birds head to Kelowna to face off against the UBC Okanagan Heat.