KAMLOOPS – The U SPORTS No.1-ranked UBC Thunderbirds (6-0) continued their perfect start to the season with a second straight 3-0 (25-21, 25-20, 25-20) sweep of the Thompson Rivers WolfPack (2-6) at TCC Gym on Saturday.
The 'Pack always kept it close, but the 'Birds still extended their set winning streak to nine. In total, UBC has won 18 sets this season and dropped just two.
The blue and gold led in every major statistical category on Saturday, but didn't blow out Thompson Rivers in any of them. The biggest differentiator was the T-Birds' attacking efficiency, as they out-hit the WolfPack .298 to .159.
Individually,
Dawson Pratt led all hitters with 12 kills, while also posting a match-high three blocks.
Mason Greves led the match in both assists and digs, with 34 and 10 respectively.
Reeve Gingera's two aces also tied him for tops among all players.
The first set was nearly neck in neck until a six-point T-Birds run, featuring three kills by Pratt, turned an 18-16 deficit into a 22-18 lead. UBC never relinquished its advantage on the way to a 25-21 win.
The second set was also a deadlock, until a four-point WolfPack run put them up 12-9 and prompted a T-Birds timeout. The 'Birds quickly tied things up from there, and the sides were still tied 20-20 when the top-ranked visitor scored five straight points, winning the set 25-20 on an ace from
Mason Greves.
The final frame was tilting the T-Birds' way the whole time, with the 'Pack putting together multiple rallies that fell just short. When TRU made it just a two-point deficit at 22-20, another well-timed UBC timeout led to a match-winning three point run, closed out by a block from Pratt and on-court captain
Kieran Robinson-Dunning.
Next up, UBC continues its five-game road trip much closer to home, making the drive to Langley for a matchup with their archrivals, the Trinity Western Spartans, on Friday, November 14th. The teams will square off after the schools' women's sides play, set for roughly 7:00 p.m. (PT) at the Langley Events Centre.
