VANCOUVER – The UBC Thunderbirds (15-5) battled hard, but fell to the Fraser Valley Cascades (17-3) 3-2 on the night that honoured graduating seniors Trinity Solecki, Olivia Furlan, and Emma Doyon at War Memorial Gym. The T-Birds won a decisive first set 25-11, before dropping two consecutive to the visitors (25-21, 25-20). They battled back to take the fourth 26-24, but ultimately the Cascades were victorious, earning the final set 15-12.
"I actually think there were some really good positives going on today when we came back to win set four," said UBC head coach Doug Reimer. "This last month has been a bit of a grind. And I mean, full credit to Fraser Valley, they played a poor first set, but they battled extremely hard, and we have to be ready for that. So we actually owe them a thank you for pushing us that hard through five sets."
"It's really special seeing how the seniors developed as people and as leaders," added Reimer after the seniors ceremony. "I'm happy to have shared some big achievements and national championships with them, but regardless of those wins and losses, it's been really rewarding to see the great people they've grown into."
For the 'Birds, Lucy Borowski scored a career-high 22 kills and added 19 digs. Solecki put up 12 kills and 14 digs, while Akash Grewal had 10 kills and 10 digs in the hard-fought loss.
On the other side of the net, Mandi Feist had 19 kills and 13 digs, Lauren Attieh earned 13 kills and 10 digs, with Alicja Hardy-Francis contributing six kills.
The Thunderbirds opened the game with accuracy and confidence, which quickly showed in the scoreline. A string of kills from
Emelie Silovs, Grewal, Borowski, and Solecki powered the defending U-SPORTS champions to a commanding 7-2 lead. Once the points started falling, the T-Birds played with a sense of lightness and enjoyment that fueled their momentum. Their relentless attacks were met with consistent errors from the Cascades, who failed to execute in a time where there was no room for mistakes. UBC cruised to a decisive first-set victory, closing it out 25-11.
The second set started on a more competitive note, but the Thunderbirds carried their winning mindset into the frame. Grewal capped off a scrappy rally at a critical juncture, giving UBC its largest lead early on at 7-4. The Cascades fought back, leveling the score as the teams hit double digits. A key ace from the visitors sparked a 6-1 run that shifted the momentum. Despite some excellent plays from UBC, the Cascades reached set point first at 24-20. Borowski delivered a kill to keep the T-Birds alive, but a service error ended the set 25-21 to even out the score 1-1.
The third set saw UBC struggle with errors, making mistakes where earlier in the match they were converting for kills. The Cascades held substantial leads for most of the frame, building a commanding lead at 23-16 with ease. The blue and gold felt a glimmer of hope for a comeback when Silovs delivered back-to-back blocks, which pushed UFV to call their first timeout of the set. However, the Thunderbirds effort was not enough as Madi Feist sealed the set for the Cascades with a kill 25-20.
The fourth set felt like the culmination of the match, with both teams showcasing their strengths. The T-Birds built a four-point cushion at 13-9 after a series of UFV errors. The hosts held their advantage, coming out on the winning side of several high-stakes rallies. However, the Cascades went on a late surge, stringing together four unanswered points to level the score at 21-all. The teams exchanged blows in a tense finish, but clutch kills from Borowski and Grewal secured the set 26-24, pushing the match to a decisive fifth set.
The fifth set was a nail-biter from the start, with the Cascades reaching the technical switch first at 8-6. After the switch, UFV capitalized on UBC errors to extend their lead to 11-6. Refusing to back down, the 'Birds mounted a 5-1 scoring run to close the gap. Despite their resilience, the Cascades held firm, taking the set 15-12 to complete a 3-2 comeback victory, avenging their straight-sets loss on Friday.
"It's gonna be a real battle," finished Reimer, looking forward to the postseason. "We've got two weeks to prepare. That was a tough loss, but it doesn't mean there can't be a lot of valuable lessons to learn from it even at this time of the year."
The 'Birds have a break next weekend during the play-in for the Canada West postseason, and begin their playoff run as the fourth seed in the quarter-final round on February 28 - March 2.
