WINNIPEG – The UBC Thunderbirds bounced back with a four-set win over the Winnipeg Wesmen Sunday afternoon, splitting their season opening series at the Duckworth Centre.

Led by Coltyn Liu's 17 kills, the T-Birds (1-1) rallied from a first set defeat to rattle off three in a row (15-25, 25-23, 25-21, 25-23) while securing their first match victory of the season.

Liu also put up a match-high 24 points along with an impressive .407 attack percentage and six service aces.


 
As a whole, the 'Birds put up eight service aces to Winnipeg's three.
 
"We had been serving well but the wheels fell off the bus a little bit yesterday," said UBC head coach Mike Hawkins who was pleased with his team's resilience Sunday. "For our team, it's a big piece of our identity and I think coming out of this game serving well and getting a win pushes the confidence for the rest of the season."
 
Second-year T-Bird Matt Neaves added 14 kills and Libero Tyson Smith had 14 digs. As a team, UBC hit .250 on the afternoon while the Wesmen (1-1) managed .252.


 
Winnipeg's Daniel Thiessen led the match with 18 kills on .222 hitting along with a team-high 13 digs.
 
The Thunderbirds have a short week of preparation before heading back on the road to Saskatoon where they'll face the Saskatchewan Huskies Friday and Saturday, October 25^th and 26^th.
 
UBC will finally get to play in front of their own fans at War Memorial Gym on November 1^st when they host the Mount Royal Cougars.