VANCOUVER – The UBC Thunderbirds (10-3) maintained their perfect record at home this season by defeating the MacEwan Griffins (5-8) 3-0 (25-16, 25-12, 25-16) on Friday night, in their first game of 2026 at War Memorial Gym.
The 'Birds' balanced attack was led by the nine kills of
Lucy Borowski, who also added three blocks and three aces. Not to be outdone, reigning Canada West Player of the Week
Kylee Glanville racked up a stunning six aces, along with seven kills and a team-high nine digs. She was key in helping the T-Birds control the service battle, as they out-aced the Griffins 13-1.
For MacEwan, Kara Firth and Alyshia Bryks led the way with nine kills each. Libero Kaitlin Rolph's 12 digs was tops among all players in the match.
"It's very nice to be at home," mused UBC head coach
Doug Reimer, after his team's first game at War Gym in 48 days. "That was a good win for us, coming off of a loss in Saskatchewan that should have been a win.
"We did a good job re-focusing, playing with intensity, and I felt like we really played to win tonight, rather than playing not to lose."
There was no separation between the teams early on, with the best early rally ending with an emphatic block by Payton Shimoda and Alana Murr to tie the set at eight. That may have woken the Thunderbirds up, as they immediately ripped off a four-point run and never relinquished their lead. The Griffins kept the T-Birds within reach for most of the set, but UBC gradually pulled away, with a pair of kills by
Ella Ungemach sealing a 25-16 win.
The second set was on even footing for the first few points as well, before the 'Birds' defence took over. UBC wore down MacEwan with great play from the back row, outlasting the Griffins in long rallies to build a sizeable lead midway through the set. Borowski powered the T-Birds' attack for the first half of the frame before
Elizabeth Lee ripped off three late kills to put away a 25-12 win.
Ahead of the third set, Lee again took centre stage as she and teammate
Jocelyn Lenarcic were both named recipients of the Rick Hansen Difference Maker Award, given to a player or players who make a difference in their community. They were honoured by Rick Hansen himself, who received a long ovation from the War Memorial Gym crowd as Coach Reimer told those in attendance how Rick became the first differently abled graduate of the UBC Kinesiology Department and received his degree on the floor of War Gym. This also marks the 40-year anniversary of Hansen's famous Man in Motion World Tour, where he went around the earth in his wheelchair to advocate for greater global accessibility and demonstrate the potential of people with different abilities.
"It's always a really special night," reflected Reimer. "Rick loves volleyball, his family loves volleyball, his wife and daughters all play. He really understands the game and especially what it takes mentally to compete. He's been a big help to me and our group, while hopefully motivating other people to support our student athletes as well.
Both of our award recipients tonight are really good students, both hard-working, really dedicated to doing their jobs, great teammates.
Liz is still working her way back from an ACL injury, over a year of rehab, it's been a long road and that work's paying off. Tonight was the most explosive that she's looked all season!
Jocelyn didn't come to us with a long, elite-level volleyball background and every year she's made really strong progress. She trains so hard in the off-season and is always getting better.
I think that tonight, both of them brought really good, steady play that really helped us."
When play resumed after the presentation, the Griffins brought renewed energy to the floor and quickly won the first two points of the set. The 'Birds soon evened things up, but the Griffins pulled ahead again at 8-5 with a four-point run, featuring back-to-back kills by the fifth-year Firth. That prompted UBC's first, and only, timeout of the night, which succeeded in shifting the momentum back in the home side's favour. The T-Birds soon went on a seven-point run to take a 14-9 lead and never looked back. They held the Griffins to a negative attack percentage for the second straight set to close out a 25-16 victory and 3-0 sweep of the match.
The two teams meet again on Saturday for a 4:00 p.m. (PT) start, back at War Gym.
