VANCOUVER – The number 10-ranked UBC Thunderbirds men's volleyball team (12-8,11-6) overcame a slow start on Friday night, rallying from a 2-0 deficit to topple the Calgary Dinos (5-12, 7-10) 3-2 on the road in Jack Simpson Gym.
Set scores read 20-25, 19-25, 25-20, 25-22, and 15-10, as the 'Birds came all the way back from the brink.
"Definitely feels good to get the win," said UBC head coach
Kerry MacDonald after the match. "It's the result we wanted, definitely, but there are so many things that we have to watch out for, especially from the first two frames, that we won't be able to get away with and win."
Irvan Brar was deadly on the outside, as the fourth-year attacker dropped 22 kills on an 0.333 hitting percentage. Meanwhile, former Camosun Charger
Cam Fennema was also impressive for the Blue and Gold, picking up 14 kills, and third-year setter
Byron Keturakis did a bit of everything against the Dinos, notching 52 assists, nine kills, nine digs, and an ace.
Unforced errors and poor ball placement cost the 'Birds in the opening two sets, as both frames saw them count 13 kills, while committing 7 errors apiece. Curtis Stockton and the Dinos took full advantage of UBC's lackadaisical play early, rolling to the 2-0 advantage. Stockton, who in total matched Brar with 22 kills, had nine of those and a pair of key blocks in the first two sets.
The 'Birds looked to be in trouble after getting down 6-2 in the third, but a quick 4-0 run knotted the two sides back up, and they would remain in lockstep until 10-10. Then, a Brar kill and Fennema ace bookended an 8-3 T-Birds' run, giving them breathing room for the first time in the match. UBC didn't waste it, never allowing Calgary back in the set before Fennema sealed the 25-20 result with a pair of back-to-back bullet kills.
MacDonald credits the comeback to a change in attitude for the 'Birds.
"I definitely think we got more aggressive, and really stuck to that game plan," said the coach. "We showed some great poise, some great resiliency to not lose our heads, to stay in the moment and just worry about the next point. It's something we've been working on since day one."
The 'Birds took that mindset into the fourth frame, as they established a quick 4-1 lead and never relinquished it. Brar was phenomenal in the fourth set, with several of his six kills serving as momentum-shifting moments in the T-Birds' favour. Behind Brar, UBC equalized 2-2 on a 25-22 set win
In the final stanza, the 'Birds closed out the dramatic comeback with some style. All equal at 10-10, Brar and
Mat Guidi picked up kills as part of a match-ending 5-0 run for the 'Birds.
The 'Birds and Dinos will do battle tomorrow night, with the first serve set for 4:30 p.m. (PT), again in Calgary's Jack Simpson Gym.
