Abbotsford, BC – The UFV Cascades battled in each set, but it was the UBC Thunderbirds that managed to eke out a four-set victory (25-18, 18-25, 25-21, 25-22) on Friday night at the UFV Athletic Centre. 

The win pushes UBC to 14-3 on the season, while UFV sits at 9-8.

How it Happened:
After the Cascades scored the first four points of the opening set, UBC stormed back to tie it at seven before snagging a 16-12 advantage and forcing a UFV timeout. A pair of kills from Kylie Glanville extended the lead to 18-13 as they closed it out 25-18.

UBC went up 13-7 in the second, but an Andi Calon service run was punctuated by a pair of Lauren Attieh kills before Calon found an ace herself to put UFV ahead 15-13. The Cascades took over from there and Mandi Feist finished off the frame with a kill to make it 25-18.

With the teams tied up at 17, UBC found the edge once again, and two late kills from Lucy Borowski finished off the set 25-21 to put them a set away from the win.

A pair of errors gave the Thunderbirds momentum in the fourth, but three emphatic kills from Lauren Attieh pulled the Cascades back within two in the final stages of the frame. However, Sol Henson would find the final kill and close out the match 25-22 for UBC.

Quotable:
UFV outside hitter Lauren Attieh

"UBC is such a historically [good] team – they've got well rounded players – so they're not just going to let us have something when it's working."

"In the second set, we made some good changes. It was working, and then they responded, and it took us too long to have a response back. So that's what we'll be looking for tomorrow. When they make changes on their side, how can we respond and just keep being curious about what they're doing and finding solutions."

Notable:
Mandi Feist led the Cascades with 12 kills and 10 digs in the match for UFV, while Lauren Attieh added 11 kills, three aces, and 14 digs. Setter Cailin Bitter chipped in 34 assists as she ran the team's offence. Middle Naomi Unger added seven blocks for UFV in the match.

UBC's Lucy Borowski led the match with 20 kills on the night, and Kylee Glanville added 10.

The loss puts a small dent in the Cascades' hope for a play-in round bye, as they remain one win back of the Saskatchewan Huskies with three games remaining for UFV.

Up next:
The Cascades and Thunderbirds meet once again on Saturday at the UFV Athletic Centre. The first serve is set for 4pm, and can be seen live on Canada West TV.

To keep up with all the action follow the Cascades on social media at @ufvcascades


- with files from Jeffrey Kennett / The Cascade