ABBOTSFORD – Make it five in a row for the blue and gold, as the UBC Thunderbirds (14-3) took down the UFV Cascades (9-8) in a four-set victory (25-18, 18-25, 25-21, 25-22).
 
Less than a month after recording 19 team blocks on the road against the Saskatchewan Huskies (their highest single-match total in over eight years), the T-Birds again recorded 19 on the road in Abbotsford. Leonora Barbulovich-Nad, Jocelyn Lenarcic and Issy Robertshaw all set career-highs in that category with nine, nine and seven, respectively.
 
Elsewhere, Lucy Borowski put forth a monstrous performance with 20 kills, 18 digs and six blocks, and Kylee Glanville recorded 10 kills, seven digs and five blocks.
 
The outside hitter trio of Lauren Attieh, Talia Attieh and Mandi Feist all had double digit kills for the home team, but none of them hit over .100 thanks to the stifling UBC defence.
 
The Thunderbirds dominated play at the net in the first set, racking up an incredible nine blocks as a team. Lenarcic had a hand in six of them, with the duo of her and Robertshaw teaming up for a block on four of the final five points of the set, continuously sending the UFV attacks straight backwards.
 
The T-Birds looked to be in control of the second set in its early stages, until the Cascades reeled off eight straight points to take the lead themselves at 15-13. UBC tried to rally, but although a Borowski kill tied up the score briefly at 15 points apiece, the home team continued their momentum with another big run to mirror the score of the first at 25-18.


 
The back-and-forth swings continued in the third, with the Thunderbirds hitting UFV with a critical 6-1 burst of their own late in the frame. Capped by an ace from Lenarcic followed by a block from Robertshaw and Barbulovich-Nad, the visitors found themselves up 23-18.
 
While the Cascades tried to make a late push of their own, a pair of Borowski kills sealed the deal and put the T-Birds just one set win away from the match victory.
 
It was UFV who took the early lead in the fourth, but after a Robertshaw kill tied the score at 10-10 the Thunderbirds never trailed again. A series of attack errors from the Cascades helped build the UBC lead, and despite one final attempted comeback Sol Henson managed to end the night with a cross-court kill at 25-22.
 
The two teams will do battle once again tomorrow at 4:00 p.m. (PT). If the T-Birds win, they'll clinch a top-four seed and homecourt advantage in the first round of the Canada West playoffs.