EDMONTON – Unsurprisingly with two former CIS champions squaring off, a five-set match (25-17, 19-25, 27-29, 25-22, 15-6) was the result, the No.9 UBC Thunderbirds earning the victory as well as a weekend split against the No.3 University of Alberta Pandas, Saturday night at Saville Community Sports Centre.
The CIS second-leading scorer in kills per set, Meg Casault, netted a game-high 21 kills to go with 10 digs while fourth-year outside hitter Kacey Otto recorded 17 and 13, respectively. Third-year setter Mariah Walsh added 48 assists in a losing cause.
Fourth-year right side Juliana Kaufmanis spun a team-high 20 kills for the visitors, narrowly besting her teammate Danielle Brisebois who had 19, sophomore middle Ciara Hanly chipping in 12 while senior left side Alissa Coulter also broke double digits with 10. Fifth in the nation in assists per set, third-year setter Alessandra Gentile put up 57 in the win, now standing at 9.32 per set.
The opening set was all UBC, firing at a 55% attack rating and starting with an 11-4 run, the Pandas countering with a few points intermittently but unable to halt the momentum of the road team, Otto serving into the net for the 1-0 T-bird set lead.
The second set displayed more of the usual pattern between these two long-time rivals, with barely any space between them on the scoreboard until Casault went on an absolute tear.
Tied at 16, the Edmonton native tallied seven of Alberta's nine remaining points in the set, including four in a 6-0 run, capping things off with two straight kills off the UBC block and out to equalize the set score at one apiece.
The third set returned proceedings to a battle in the trenches, the squads combining for 34 kills but neither giving their opponent an obvious edge, requiring extra time before a Gentile serve and a Victoria Behie attack both went long, setting the stage for Brisebois to tie things up once more at 28, but her fan on the attack gave Alberta a 2-1 set lead.
Though the fourth set featured more momentum swings than a tight point battle, it was still Brisebois and Otto who took to the air the most, firing a combined 12 kills at the opposition, after letting loose a collective baker's dozen in the third, but it was UBC's Coulter delivering the final kill shot, Otto unable to recover on the Alberta defensive side in time.
The T-birds showed no mercy, however, opening with a commanding 8-1 lead and pulling off four aces in the shortened final set. Casault tried to reply with a trio of kills for the home team after the technical timeout, but Kaufmanis erased all hope with a precise kill out of reach of the Pandas to earn the weekend split.
The 14-4 Pandas head on the road next weekend to face off against the Regina Cougars while the 12-4 T-birds head to Kelowna to face off against an inter-campus rival, the UBC Okanagan Heat.