Welcome back to Weekend Rundown, your place to stay up to date with all of the different Thunderbirds teams!
Women's volleyball head to Canada West final four after two wins
The T-Birds spent the weekend at Kenyon Court at Mount Royal University, looking to advance to the quarter finals for the Canada West championships, hosted by the University of Alberta. The T-Birds faced off against the University of Calgary Dinos and Mount Royal University Cougars.
On Saturday, the T-Birds defeated the Dinos in straight sets. The T-Birds left Calgary with a 3–2 win on Sunday against the Cougars.
On Saturday, the Dinos came out strong at the net to start, but with a kill by Claire Cossarini after a T-Birds time out, the team was able to turn things around early in the game.
With a strong offensive presence at the net by Jayde Robertsen, Brynn Pasin, Trinity Solecki and Cossarini allowed for a hitting percentage of .198, while the Dinos hit .000 through the three sets. After a slow start to the first set, the T-Birds won the first set 25–15 after a hitting error by the Dinos.
Despite the series of hitting errors by both the T-Birds and Dinos, the teams went back-and-forth for the entire second set. After a UBC timeout, the ‘Birds came back with scrappy coverage and smart kill placements, leading to their 25–20 second set win.
On the defensive side of the game, third-year libero Kacey Jost, set the tone for defence this weekend with 30 digs over the weekend, 19 of which were against the Dinos.
First-year Dinos libero Michela Alongi, matched Jost’s impeccable coverage and led her team in digs with 17. Third-year T-Birds setter Kayla Oxland led the team with 74 assists with 4 errors over the weekend.
The T-Birds won the third set 25–14, securing their place at the Canada West championship quarter final. After a monster block by Robertson, the ‘Birds gained momentum, allowing the Dinos to score only one more point before an Elise Petit kill which rounded out the straight set win.
On Sunday, the T-Birds fought hard against the Cougars, winning five sets; 15–25, 25–22, 16–25, 25–23 and 15–12.
The T-Birds are back in action at the Saville Centre in Edmonton on Friday, March 18 competing against the Trinity Western Spartans for the fourth time since regular season began.
Men’s field hockey season ends after loss to Vancouver Hawks
This Saturday the men’s field hockey team faced off against the Vancouver Hawks in their last regular season game with the hope of moving on to playoffs with a win or a tie.
The T-Birds started off with a bang when forward Kyle Bishop slammed the first goal of the match into the Hawks’ net within the first five minutes of the starting whistle.
Despite this strong start for the T-Birds, the Hawks didn’t let them get away with winning the first quarter and tied up the score just before time was called.
The competition continued with many turnovers and battles for possession, with the T-Birds eventually sending all players into the attacking third after being awarded a short corner as the last play of the second quarter.
It wasn’t until later in the third quarter when an aerial pass from T-Birds' third year Rajan Dhaliwal landed at the feet of Bishop once again and, after a brief clash just outside the penalty circle, dual efforts by Bishop and midfielder Rowan Childs resulted in a 2–1 lead.
However, the Hawks levelled the score almost immediately, smashing a goal past T-Birds goalie Ethan McTavish despite his many exceptional saves so far in the match. The Hawks later gained a 3–2 lead in the fourth quarter after out-maneuvering the T-Bird’s defences.
The T-Birds didn’t give up the fight and continued to put pressure on the Hawks until the last whistle signaled their chance at playoffs was lost.
Despite this, head coach Kinder Gill has high hopes for the next season. “Next year is the 100th anniversary for UBC men’s field hockey at UBC, so we’re looking forward to winning the season next year.”
Forward Brien Murphy captained the team for his last game with the Thunderbirds before he graduates this spring.
