CALGARY – It was about as close as a straight-sets match can get, but the UBC Thunderbirds edged the University of Calgary Dinos women's volleyball team 3-0 (27-25, 25-23, 25-21) on Saturday night.

The Dinos pushed UBC in every set, but the Thunderbirds were sharper in key moments to complete the weekend sweep. The Thunderbirds have now won four straight matches, climbing to 13-3, alone in second in the Canada West standings.
 
Kylee Glanville, playing less than an hour away from her hometown of Okotoks, Alberta, had a fantastic performance with 16 kills, three digs and two blocks.
 
"They came out with a lot of fire," said Glanville about the Dinos, while speaking to Canada West TV after the match. "They're honestly a fantastic team and they brought everything. They were serving well, passing dimes…it was a really fun match."
 
Lucy Borowski recorded eight kills, eight digs and three aces, while Issy Robertshaw dished out 30 assists to go with eight digs and two aces.



The first set was tight the whole way through, with the largest lead coming at 14-11 when the Dinos led by three. But kills from Glanville and Jocelyn Lenarcic, plus an ace from Leonora Barbulovich-Nad, tied the score up at 17. The teams traded points until 25-25, from which point UBC scored two straight to take the set. 

The second was a set of runs, as the Dinos jumped to an early 5-2 lead and the Thunderbirds battled back to go up 10-6 before everything was tied up at 16. A Dinos service error gave the Thunderbirds set point at 24-21, but two straight Calgary points gave them the chance to force the teams past the 24-point barrier once again.
 
UBC prevailed, however, forcing the Dinos into an attack error on the ensuing play and escaping with a 2-0 lead in set count.



It looked like UBC might run away with the third, taking a commanding 8-2 lead before a Calgary timeout. But the Dinos hit back, winning five straight points to bring themselves back within one.

Things were once again even at 16, and the teams traded points until the score was tied at 21 apiece. That's when the blue and gold came up clutch once again, as four straight kills from Borowski, Sol Henson and Lenarcic won UBC the set and the match.
 
With four matches to go in the Canada West regular season, the T-Birds remain in a heated battle for playoff positioning. Sitting at 13-3, they are just one win back of Alberta for the No. 1 seed, and just one win ahead of both Thompson Rivers and Manitoba.
 
The Thunderbirds will now have a bye week before next taking the court against the UFV Cascades on the road on February 6 and 7.