VANCOUVER – One step closer to locking up their spot in the Canada West playoffs, the No. 7-ranked UBC Thunderbirds men's volleyball team (13-6) earned a 3-0 sweep of the Regina Cougars (1-20) Friday night at War Memorial Gym.

Set scores were 25-17, 25-23, and 25-21.

Fourth-year outside hitter Irvan Brar paced the 'Birds with 12 kills on just 18 swings, while former Camosun Charger Cam Fennema picked up eight kills and a pair of aces. Matt Santema came off the bench to drop six kills for the home side.
 
Regina got an eight-kill performance from Brennan Goski, while Dalton Wolfe, Matthew Aubrey, and P.J. Seekings had four kills each. Michael Corrigan recorded 20 assists and four digs for the visitors. Dryden Wall also had four digs.

Though happy with the win, UBC head coach Kerry MacDonald sees the potential for more from his squad.

"It was definitely the result we were looking for, and there were moments tonight where we did a really good job executing our game plan – some of the things we've addressed in training over the past couple of weeks showed," said MacDonald. "On the flip side, I thought we were inconsistent and a bit streaky, as well. We'll need to address that going forward."



Up 6-5 in the first set, kills from Fennema, Mat Guidi, and Brar were part of a 5-0 run for the T-Birds as they broke open an 11-5 lead. Quick ball movement and some decisive attacking from Brar and Fennema led the 'Birds into a 16-9 advantage at the technical timeout.

Down 19-10, the Cougars did well to claw their way back with a 4-0 run off the hands of server Corrigan, who picked up a pair of aces in the stretch. Still, the 'Birds would not be denied in that opening frame, and closed the 25-17 win out on a blistering kill from middle Joel Regehr.

The two sides were in lockstep for much of the second stanza. Neither side could pull away in the middle stages of the frame, with two points the largest margin of difference between the Canada West foes.

A pair of kills by Goski early allowed Regina to jump ahead 4-1, before a mini 4-0 surge allowed the hosts to re-take the lead 11-9. Then, knotted up 19-19, the 'Birds got four straight points off kills from Santema and Guidi, a Cougars attacking error, and a wicked ace from setter Byron Keturakis. It was enough to separate the two, as UBC eventually settled for the 25-23 win.

The final frame saw the 'Birds and Cougars split the first 20 points evenly. UBC was able to build a three-point gap before Dylan Smith's ace brought Regina to within one at 16-15. The T-Birds led just 19-16 before Brar took over. The senior outside hitter dropped three kills in the next four points, getting UBC out in front 22-17. A few points later, Santema delivered the final blow, as his sixth kill of the night gave the hosts a 25-21 win.

The 'Birds and Cougars will now prepare for the second half of their back-to-back, as the two sides are scheduled to clash tomorrow night at 6:30 p.m. (PT) in War Memorial Gym.