VANCOUVER – The UBC Thunderbirds (1-1) fell in four close sets to the University of the Fraser Valley Cascades (1-1) 3-1 (25-18, 25-21, 24-26, 25-20) to finish their home opening series with a split inside War Memorial Gym.
 
"I'd say across the board we just didn't do our job," said UBC head coach Mike Hawkins after the tough home court loss. "I thought we failed at following our game plan and any of our tactical adjustments. I thought our commitment to our serve wavered. There were errors on balls that weren't true to their best serve. The grit that was shown was great, but we need to back that up by staying true to our systems, our style of play…and above all else trusting ourselves and our teammates. Honestly though, kudos to the Cascades. I said this last night after the match and again right now to Coach Bennett – they're a playoff team. They have two guys who are legitimate stars in this league in Jonas Van Huizen and Nimo Benne and they came to play tonight. The fact of the matter is that they deserved the win."


 
Benne racked up a game-high 22 kills for UFV and added three aces with three blocks, while setter Van Huizen totalled 40 assists with three kills and an ace in the win. Matt Neaves had 15 kills and five digs for the 'Birds, Michael Dowhaniuk tallied nine kills with six digs, and first-year Thunderbird Conaire Taub had an impressive eight kills with three aces and six blocks.
 
The Cascades came out strong in the first set, as a Benne kill made it 12-5 and Ryan Hampe put UFV up 22-17 with a kill. A big block by Van Huizen and Hampe lifted the visitors to a set point that they converted at 25-18 with a Van Huizen kill.


 
In the second, Dowhaniuk scored for the 'Birds with a back row tip at 6-5, but the visitors rallied with a 4-0 run to lead 11-9 and enjoyed a four-point cushion at 18-12 after a UBC error. Conaire Taub earned a solo block for the T-Birds, then added a kill at 19-15 Cascades – but Benne crushed a back row attack at 21-15 as UFV continued to cook and took the set 25-22 on a Benne kill.
 
Neaves notched a kill at 10-8 UFV in the third set and James Vincett served an ace to keep the T-Birds within two at 12-10. A Cascades error evened the score at 15-15 and Conaire Taub dropped a pair of aces for a two-point edge. Dowhaniuk cracked a kill to force a UFV timeout as the 'Birds took a 20-17 lead — but the visitors reapplied the pressure and knotted it up at 21-21. Tied at 24-24, the Cascades were called for a violation and Conaire Taub cranked an ace to take the set 26-24 and extend the match.
 
Neaves gave the T-Birds a 15-14 lead in the fourth set with a kill, but with the score even at 19-19, Benne blasted two kills off the block for a 21-19 advantage. Benne continued to fire on all cylinders and closed out the match with a kill at 25-20.
 
Next up for UBC is a trip to Manitoba for a two-game series against the Brandon Bobcats on October 28^th at 5:45 p.m. (PT) and October 29^th at 4:45 p.m. (PT). UFV returns home next weekend to take on the Trinity Western Spartans in Abbotsford.