VANCOUVER – The UBC Thunderbirds finished in fourth place at the 2016 CIS Women's Volleyball Championship, as they fell in straight sets to the UBC Okanagan Heat in the Bronze Medal game on Sunday afternoon in Brandon, Man.
 
Final set scores read: 18-25, 18-25, 19-25
 
Both liberos, UBC's Sam Patko (Vancouver) and UBCO's Kailin Jones, were named their club's Player of the Game for their efforts – Patko finished with a game-high 12 digs, while Jones had 11. On offense, the 'Birds got 10 kills from outside hitter Danielle Brisebois (Bolton, Ont.), and sophomore middle Ciara Hanly (Calgary) had an efficient outing, notching seven kills on a 0.545 attack efficiency.
 
The heat were paced by Katelynn Given, who had 10 kills, while Brianna Beamish and Megan Festival slammed nine apiece.
 
Knotted up at 8-8 in the opening set, the Heat turned the momentum with a 5-0 run that included two aces from setter Emily Oxland.
 
The 'Birds managed to close the gap to a four-point margin on several occasions in the latter part of the frame, but weren't able to push closer. UBCO closed out the frame with a 3-0 run.
 
Hanly was a force for the 'Birds in the opening portion of the second stanza, as the middle racked up five kills before the technical timeout. Still, the T-Birds found themselves down 16-13 at the break after seven errors cost them valuable points.
 
With the 'Birds down 23-18, a Beamish kill and another Oxland ace were the final daggers in the second frame, as the Heat took a 2-0 set advantage
 
The 'Birds came out firing in the third set, jumping out to a 7-1 lead on the back of three Brisebois kills and an ace from rookie Irem Eren (Izmir, Turkey). The Heat, however, got three kills from Given, as well as singles from Festival and Beamish, as they came back to equalize at 12-12.
 
A Festival ace gave UBCO a 16-14 lead heading into the technical timeout, and then the Heat found another gear, as they ended the match on a 9-5 run, the tail end of which saw Given finish it with her 10th kill of the contest.
 
The 'Birds will now set their sights on the 2016-17 CIS season, and with only four graduating athletes – Kelsey Clarke (Delta, B.C.), Alissa Coulter (Calgary), Katie Crawford (North Vancouver), and Cara Rosehill (Kailua, Hawaii) – it should be a veteran squad that takes the court for the 'Birds.
 
One for which this final loss should provide ample motivation.