Aaron Martin (UBC Thunderbirds)
VANCOUVER – The UBC Thunderbirds women's volleyball team continued it's strong early-season form at War Memorial Gym on Saturday, topping the Manitoba Bisons in straight sets for the second time in as many nights.
The T-Birds took the 3-0 win with set scores of 25-21, 25-24, and 25-16.
Even among several quality performances from the 'Birds, the dynamic play of outside hitters Danielle Brisebois (Bolton, Ont.) and Alissa Coulter (Calgary) stood out. Brisebois was ferocious on the attack, racking up 13 kills on 23 attacks. With just four errors to her name, Brisebois came away with a game-high attack efficiency of 0.391. Coulter, too, dominated offensively, picking up 13 kills of her own. The fifth-year Calgary native also led the team in digs with eight. Setter Alessandra Gentile (Port Moody, B.C.) had a terrific game, as she ended the contest with 38 assists to her name, double the total notched by the entire Bisons lineup.
On the Bisons side, Jordana Milne led the way with six kills. Cassidy Pearson posted five of her own, while Tori Studler and Manitoba captain Sarah Klassen picked up four kills apiece. Caleigh Dobie did work on the defensive end, with a team-high nine digs.
UBC came out hot to start the opening set, as the hosts raced out to a 6-1 lead before anyone in War Memorial could blink. Manitoba settled down, and closed the gap to a 9-6 margin just a few minutes later. However, the 'Birds then jumped out to a 13-6 lead behind a few terrific serves from Coulter, and never came close to relinquishing their advantage. The two sides battled back and forth, but Manitoba couldn't cut UBC's lead to less than three points, as the 'Birds took the first set 25-21.
The second set saw the two teams trade blows early on, battling to a 6-6 stalemate before the 'Birds broke the frame open. Second-year middle Ciara Hanly (Calgary) single-handedly gave UBC a three-point lead at that point, smashing a sweet kill off of a Gentile set-up before serving up two aces of her own. The 'Birds, armed with a solid lead, never looked back, stretching the gap to 11 by the final point of the set.
The final set was closely contested in the early going, as Manitoba's Klassen knocked down a couple of early kills to help her team to a 5-3 lead. UBC regained the lead but the Bisons kept the 'Birds within three points, cutting the deficit down to 15-14. From that point on, the T-Birds went on an 11-2 run, including two kills from Coulter and Brisebois, which sealed the result.
Despite the lopsided win, UBC head coach Doug Reimer still sees things that will need to be smoothed out as the 'Birds move forward.
"Very happy to win three straight, but I think there were some execution issues that we have to clean up, just little things," said Reimer. "It had more of a grind-it-out feeling to it. Lots of positives though, especially for the first weekend, and you can't really argue with 3-0 too much."
The Thunderbirds will head out to Saskatchewan for their next set of games, as they will face the Regina Cougars in back-to-back contests on Friday, October 30, and Saturday, October 31. Friday's game is to start at 4 p.m. (PT), while the Saturday matchup is scheduled for a 3 p.m. (PT) start.
Manitoba will start a four-game homestand next weekend, as the Bisons will host the MacEwan Griffins of Edmonton Friday (7:30 p.m. CT) and Saturday (4:30 p.m. CT) at the Investors Group Athletic Centre. The week after, the Mt. Royal Cougars will come to Winnipeg for a two-match set.
IMAGE CREDIT: Rich Lam/UBC Thunderbirds