VANCOUVER - The UBC Thunderbirds (5-5) fought hard in a tight 3-1 (25-23, 17-25, 25-23, 25-22) loss to the division-leading Trinity Western Spartans (7-1) at War Memorial Gym on Saturday evening.
 
Brynn Pasin had a T-Bird career-high 14 kills with three aces, 14 digs and five total blocks in the narrow loss. Cara Kovacs added 16 kills and an ace, Trinity Solecki put up seven kills with four blocks, and Claire Cossarini tied a season high with seven total blocks for the 'Birds.
 
Meaghan Mealy capped off an impressive weekend with 16 kills, two aces and two total blocks for Trinity Western, while Savannah Purdy racked up 12 kills with eight digs and two aces in the win.
 
"I think we were really nervous," said Spartans head coach Ryan Hofer after his team came off a lengthy layoff to sweep their first series of 2022. "We haven't played in over two months, and it was really good to come here. It's always a tough gym to play in, and UBC's a great team, so it was a fun battle. They were hot tonight and I found that there were some moments when we were kind of just sitting back and we needed to find a way to take it to them, be aggressive and play good, unsafe volleyball. I though we responded well and started playing that way."


 
The two teams were evenly matched in the first set and traded points through to a 12-12 tie until a pair of UBC errors gave TWU a slim lead and Purdy took the Spartans into the technical timeout up 16-13. Kovacs kept the T-Birds within three on a kill from the left side at 18-15, before a string of TWU errors knotted it up at 20-20. The Spartans rebounded and earned a set point at 24-21, but Pasin extended the set on a kill and a Cossarini block made it 24-23 TWU. The late UBC push wasn't quite enough to overtake the Spartans, as TWU closed it out with a block at 25-23.
 

?? WVB | 'Birds take the second set over @TWUSpartans 25-17!

Now tied 1-1. #GoBirdsGo pic.twitter.com/uLR5AS53ts

— UBC Thunderbirds (@ubctbirds) January 30, 2022

 
UBC started strong defensively in the second set before a pair of Pasin aces lifted the 'Birds to an 8-4 lead before Kovacs made it 10-4 with a kill. The T-Birds maintained their six-point edge at 19-13 and led 21-13 after a Cossarini block. Purdy made it a six-point deficit on a kill at 23-17 UBC, but Danielle Price answered with a kill and Erika Vermette finished the set for the 'Birds at 25-17.


 
The Thunderbirds held a narrow lead in the third set and went into the timeout up 16-13 before Mealey brought TWU within two on a tip and tied it with a block at 17-17. Kovacs reclaimed a two-point edge at 20-18, but Mikayla Benterud came up with a block at 22-21 UBC and Kirsten Kampman evened it up at 22-22. Tied at 23-23, Ansah Odoom crushed a kill for a set point and Dora Komlodi dropped an ace to take the set 25-23.


 
Purdy lifted the Spartans to a 12-10 lead in the fourth set before Kovacs tied it at 12-12 and a huge Pasin block gave UBC the narrow lead. Down 17-15, Kovacs earned a backrow kill but the Spartans outlasted the 'Birds on lengthy rally for a 19-16 lead. Cossarini earned a kill at 23-20 TWU and Elise Petit brought UBC within one. Purdy earned the Spartans a match point, and the visitors closed it out at 25-22.
 
The 'Birds now enter another bye week before heading to Abbotsford to face the University of Fraser Valley Cascades on February 11^th and 12^th. TWU returns home to host the UBC Okanagan Heat (6-2) on February 4^th and 5^th in Langley.