In their opening quarterfinal match-up at the U Sports national championships hosted by Laval University on Friday afternoon, a five-set thriller was on the cards for the UBC women's volleyball team — it would all end in their favour, with a 3-2 win against the Dalhousie Tigers and a spot in the semifinals.
The first set was extremely close, but Dalhousie came from behind and would prevail 26-24.
The second frame was a tight battle too, with good back and forth play from both teams. As the set neared its end with UBC at 24, the T-Birds dropped four straight points to put the Tigers ahead 25-24. The ’Birds would end up taking the set in extra points with a powerful ace by Olivia Furlan for the 28-26 lead and the set win.
Dalhousie opened the third set with two quick points, but UBC tied it up early at four as the action ramped up. The Tigers were setting up well on their blocks, but the ’Birds’ sets along either side of the net by UBC captain Alessandra Gentile continued to break down Dalhousie's defence.
Throughout the match, Gentile positioned perfect sets for the ’Birds hitters with a match high of 47 total assists.
The ’Birds looked like they were scrambling off of miscued digs late in the third frame and looked uneasy on defence, being down five points at 22-17 — but they would claw back to an even 22-22 scoreline with a kill from Anna Price. The teams would lock the score again at 24, but the Tigers wound up taking the set 26-24, as the ball deflected off a Thunderbirds block and into UBC’s own end.
UBC had to set the tone at the beginning of the fourth if they wanted to get back into the match — which they did. The T-Birds blocking was reading the Tigers hitting like a book, up 7-1 early. On the other hand, defensive play by the Tigers led to longer rallies that resulted in uncontested kills on both sides. Even so, the Thunderbirds went into the technical timeout with a four-point lead.
From there, Kiera Van Ryk continued to dominate with her swings at the net, helping the ’Birds to a sizeable lead. Net violations by the Tigers cost them valuable points throughout the match, resulting in a deciding 25-18 win for UBC and sending the teams to the fifth and final set.
UBC opened the final frame with three straight points and were up by five early, as Van Ryk would continue to put up kills from the outside in her nationals debut. UBC would take the fifth set looking their most composed all night with a final score of 15-8.
Thunderbirds libero Sam Patko took home the player of the game honours with an impressive 31 digs, having carried the ’Birds defensive load. That said, T-Birds rookie Van Ryk, who was named “rookie of the year” by U Sports just a day earlier, was also a clear standout at the net with a match-high 24 kills.
The ’Birds now move on to play in the semifinals against the Alberta Pandas, a team they have already split a Canada West series with this season. With both teams coming off of five-set matches in their first round, it will certainly be a game to watch between the two Canada West teams. Their game time is set for 3 p.m. on March 17.