EDMONTON – In what was a tremendous four sets of volleyball – and likely a preview of what to expect in the coming conference and national title chase – the Alberta Golden Bears earned a thrilling 3-1 win over the UBC Thunderbirds at Saville Centre on Saturday.
It's the fifth-straight win for Alberta over UBC following a sweep at the hands of the Thunderbirds at Saville last January. The pair of Bears wins sees Alberta jump UBC in the conference standings with a 14-4 record, with UBC dropping to 13-5.
Saturday's match saw the two national title contenders separated by just 3.5 points and six kills, with the home squad narrowly winning both categories. The match also featured 32 tie scores and 11 lead changes.
Gavin Moes and
Toby Bergh were excellent for UBC, combining for 27 kills and eight total blocks. Setter
Mason Greves recorded 38 assists.
Isaac Heslinga led the Bears with 20 kills on 52 attempts, with Liam Espedido adding nine kills and four aces. Luke Weddell paced the offence with a match-high 43 aces, adding six digs.
Alberta pressed the UBC offence in the first, as a tough serving set led to seven attack errors for the Thunderbirds. UBC committed a pair of service errors, finishing the set with just a .154 attack %.
Despite the misfortunes on the side of the visitors, the Bears ripped off four-straight points down 23-21 to win the first. Heslinga and Dylan Martens scored seven of the Bears 12 kills.
UBC responded in the second, thanks to five kills each from Bergh and Moes. The Thunderbirds greatly improved their attack, scoring 13 kills to just four errors.
It was the Bears who struggled with errors in the second, finishing with 10 kills and eight errors. UBC focused their serve and block on Heslinga, who had three attack errors and a service error in the second. The 'Birds evened up the match with a 25-21 win.
Heslinga took over the third, powering his way to seven kills on 17 attempts, highlighted by a monster swing to end the set. Jacob Sargent, who was subbed in for the third, added three kills, to go along with three kills and three aces from Espedido.
Sargent and Heslinga were once again excellent in the fourth, combining for 10 kills in a set that the Bears led for a majority.
Trent Cherewaty and Espedido added three kills each in the fourth, as Alberta avoided a fifth set with a 25-22 win.
Alberta will visit MRU to close out the regular season next weekend, while UBC will host Fraser Valley in Vancouver.
