VANCOUVER – It was a wild start to the West Coast Classic for the T-Birds, but in the end they got it done, taking their opening match 3-2 over the Calgary Dinos on Friday night at War Memorial Gym.
The Dinos took the first set 25-18 on the strength of seven kills by Holly Harper. After the T-Birds won the next two sets (25-19, 38-36), including a marathon-length third set, the Dinos won the fourth 26-24 to extend the match. But with the score tied at nine in the fifth set, the T-Birds went on a six-point run to finish the Dinos off and secure the victory.
The story of the night was the third set however, not only because it was a turning point that saw UBC take the lead for the first time by going up 2-1, but also because it was unusually long, with the score winding up at 38-36 in favour of UBC.
The set began innocently enough, with the 'Birds taking an early lead on the strength of their blocking before a 7-2 Dinos run saw Calgary take a 21-15 lead. The Dinos had the T-Birds on the ropes at 24-18, and that's where things got interesting.
The T-Birds fought all the way back to within a point of the Dinos before Calgary coach Jesse Knight took a timeout to settle his squad. But when they returned from their timeout for a sixth attempt at game point, the Dinos were stymied once again, as Jen Hinze came up with a monster block for UBC to extend the set and bring her T-Birds level with the Dinos at 24. The two sides would trade points back and forth through several long and intense rallies before Liz Cordonier put the 'Birds up 37-36 with a big kill which Hinze followed up with an ace to finally put an end to the set.
“It was entertaining preseason volleyball,” said UBC coach Doug Reimer. “Emphasis on 'preseason'. There was definitely a lot of sloppy play at times. Still, there was some good play as well and we showed some good composure to be able to come back and hang in there to win it. I wish it didn't take so long but I'm also happy because those were the kind of pressure situations that you just can't simulate in practice.”
A total of 13 players had at least one kill in the third set. The two sides combined for 120 total attacks in the frame.
Harper had a big game for her Dinos, finishing up with 23 kills and three aces. The usual suspects topped UBC's kills list, as Jen Hinze and Liz Cordonier each had 14 for the 'Birds. Lauren Whitehead also had a strong game for UBC with 12 kills.
“Lauren did really well for us tonight,” said Reimer. “Danielle Petersen was good as well. It was her first game since her injury and she came in during the third set and brought some good energy and experience for us.”
Both teams will have double-headers to look forward to tomorrow. Calgary first faces off against Thompson Rivers at noon before finishing up against Simon Fraser at 4 p.m. UBC will begin at 2 p.m. against Alberta before taking on Thompson Rivers at 6 p.m. All games are at War Memorial Gym.
WEST COAST CLASSIC SCHEDULE
Friday, October 3rd
TRU vs. Alberta (0-3)
UBC vs. Calgary (3-2)
TWU vs. SFU (3-0)
Saturday, October 4th
TWU vs. Alberta (10:00 a.m.)
TRU vs. Calgary (12:00 p.m.)
Alberta vs. UBC (2:00 p.m.)
SFU vs. Calgary (4:00 p.m.)
UBC vs. TRU (6:00 p.m.)
Sunday, October 5th
SFU vs. Alberta (10:00 p.m.)
TWU vs. Calgary (12:00 p.m.)
SFU vs. TRU (2:00 p.m.)
UBC vs. TWU (4:00 p.m.)
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