After mid-match stumble, UBC regains control to secure Game 1 in quarterfinals

On Thursday night, when the Thunderbirds entered War Memorial Gym to play against the University of Fraser Valley Cascades in the first game of a possible three-game quarterfinal series, all odds pointed to UBC. Fortunately, for the T-Birds, the odds stayed in their favour on the court, leaving War Memorial with a 3-1 win.

But if the scoreboard suggested comfort, the match did not.

Considering how both teams’ seasons had gone, UBC was the favourite to win. Not only had they won both games this season against the Cascades, but they haven't lost any matches at home. Also, the team went to the match with plenty of momentum, having won eight consecutive games to finish in second place, just behind the Alberta Pandas.

Their opponent, UFV, had lost three out of the four games played this month. Having finished the season in seventh place, they’d need to give everything they had to beat the T-Birds on Thursday and have a chance to go to the Final Four. For the first two sets of the game, they did.

In the first set, most of the early rallies won by UFV came from UBC attack and service errors, with UFV getting their first three points off UBC errors. Despite those early mistakes, Lucy Borowski — playing one of her last matches at War Memorial — brought a strong kill at 2–2, signalling that UBC’s offence would not remain quiet for long. With UBC alternating between errors and great kills, the start of the set was very back-and-forth, with neither team getting an early advantage.

From the start, it was clear that the 'Birds biggest challenge would be getting through the hitter sisters Lauren and Talia Attieh, with the former achieving the highest number of kills in the match, for either team. While UBC distributed scoring across multiple attackers, UFV leaned heavily on their outside weapons.

With UBC up 7–6, as Borowski went to return the ball and it clipped the net, looking like it would not make it over. Yet, surprising the Cascades, it did.

That close call, however, was emblematic of a greater issue: UFV was playing better than they did last time they played the T-Birds. As the set went on, it became clear that this wasn't going to be as easy as expected.

Neither team gained more than a three-point cushion throughout the first set. UFV appeared more comfortable in extended rallies, defending aggressively and forcing UBC to reset multiple times. The Thunderbirds, by contrast, looked most dangerous in quick-transition sequences. A thunderous block from Leonora Barbulovich-Nad to put the ‘Birds ahead 10–8 injected energy into the gym and hinted at UBC’s edge at the net.

While the first moments of the set were filled with errors from both teams, it morphed into a matchup of the 'Birds offence versus the Cascades’ defence. UBC had trouble dealing with UFV's defensive prowess, extending rallies and stealing points — something the ‘Birds would need to fix quickly, or else the set could end with UFV taking a surprising early lead. In the first set, the Cascades were behind or tied since the eighth point — until they were able to pass the Thunderbirds near the end, taking a 19–18 lead.

This scare may have been what UBC needed. After UFV took the lead, UBC responded with a decisive offensive run, led by Elizabeth Lee, Kylee Glanville and Jocelyn Lenarcic. Those three delivered UBC’s next four kills to reclaim control before Borowski sealed the set with an emphatic, powerful swing, taking a tight one, 25–22. The narrow margin, while it broke UBC’s way, was a reminder that UFV’s efficiency — as reflected in their higher hitting percentage — would keep them firmly in contention all game.

“I think we weren't being really aggressive with our serve, which we normally are, so it's kind of a shock when teams are outserving us,” said Borowski. “But we came back after the first set and said ‘let's regroup, we know our identity, we're a good serving team’ … and I think that made the difference.”

Although they won the set, any momentum they had from it didn’t translate into the next set, as UBC would have to push even harder in the next one. Still, while they were in tough, they still had a clear strength — their balance. While many players on the ‘Birds had a similar number of kills, it was Lauren Attieh who made almost all of the kills for her team.

The second set started, and while UBC's confidence had grown after the first win, the Cascades came back hungrier. Similar to the first set, the first half was back-and-forth, hinting at the possibility of a fifth set. Barbulovich-Nad had two kills in a row, with the second coming lightning-quick, closely followed by a Borowski kill to go up 6–4, putting a smile on the fifth-year’s face. In the first half of the set, it appeared that UBC was stronger, playing better and committing fewer errors.

But everything changed when the game was tied at 15.

There was a change in intensity by the Cascades — especially by the sisters who were carrying their team on their backs — while the T-Birds seemed to be losing their focus. Twice, Thunderbirds defenders hesitated on balls drifting near the boundary, conceding critical points.

The Cascades capitalized, building leads of 18–15 and then 21–17, with the 'Birds appearing too relaxed and comfortable. While the team was letting the set slip away, head coach Doug Reimer definitely did not look relaxed, because on UFV's 23rd point — caused by an attack error — he was not happy by the referee's ruling.

From there, momentum belonged entirely to the visitors. When it got to a Cascades' set point, UBC started to pay off the hope they had left to try to turn things around, winning two straight points to try and climb back into it. But then a service error from Lee handed UFV the set 25–20, levelling the match and injecting doubt into the gym.

What once looked like a controlled playoff opener had become unstable. Losing this match would bring much bigger pressure for the Thunderbirds tomorrow, with the No. 2 seed being in danger of not even getting in the Final Four.

"That team was, a year ago, first in the league,” said Reimer. “They're going to give everything. I thought they came out and played really free and to a better degree than we did.”

The third set began, and while Borowski opened with two assertive kills, UFV quickly responded with a four-point surge. The set cycled through ties, with neither side generating separation. For the T-Birds, they had to hope that whatever Reimer told the team during the break would bring back the balance the team had at the start of the match.

But the chances of Cascades' victory were increasing by every minute, with UBC looking confused and unfocused at times. At this point, all UBC needed to do to win this set was getting a small boost in confidence, because that would make them get powerful again. Eventually, they got it. The team first reached their 10th point through a Borowski kill that UFV couldn’t handle, being deflected off the unsuspecting Cascade so hard that it hit the ceiling. Soon after, UBC managed to take the score from 13-11 for UFV to 16-13 on their side. Now, they just needed to continue the flow.

Although the Cascades deserve credit for their resilience, this run from the 'Birds really caused UBC’s confidence to go through the roof. A lengthy rally culminating in a Glanville kill extended the lead to 20–14, highlighted by a crowd-pleasing full-extension defensive save from Lee.

Finally, with the lead, UBC was back to being confident and free — and they always play better with confidence. From this point on, there was no going back. As UBC’s streak continued, the swing in momentum began to weigh on UFV, with the final rallies filled with Cascades’ mistakes. A UFV service error gave UBC the set point, and then on the next point, it was no surprise that a Cascades attack error allowed UBC to win the set by 25-17.

For Reimer, this shift in momentum came from diversifying what they threw at their opponent.

"We started to put more service pressure on them, but more than anything, our passing gave us more opportunities,” he said. "They've got great offensive attackers, so we have to put more pressure on them in all areas, and that includes our blocking.”

Although the Thunderbirds played much better the second half of the set than in the first, as a whole, their performance throughout the game hadn’t eliminated all doubt. Fortunately, UBC proved quickly that the possibility of a fifth set was not on the table, because if the third set restored control, the fourth eliminated suspense.

The fourth set was by far the best the 'Birds had played all game, being firmly in the driver’s seat. They surged ahead 8–3, capitalizing on a string of UFV errors. Their confidence continued to grow, the offence diversified, and defensive rotations sharpened. UFV continued to make mistakes as the game got closer to an end — the pressure building. In the back of their minds, they had to be coming to the realization that, should they lose, their game on Friday could end their season.

UBC got further and further ahead on the scoreboard, while UFV seemed stuck. Yet, nothing was a given. In volleyball, anything can change. With the score still within reach the Cascades should have got their heads back in the game to try to close the gap. But that could not have been further from what happened.

In a blink of an eye, the score became 12-4. UFV’s mistake-prone play was continuing to be an issue late in this game, as while UBC pressed the issue, most of the fault could be laid at UFV's feet — five of these lost points came from attack and service errors that could have been easily avoided.

For UBC, as the game went on, they seemed to re-establish their identity. They remembered that they hadn't lost at home this year, and they weren’t about to allow this to be the first time. They stopped playing individually and returned to playing as a team. Their faces said it all, beaming smiles, rally after rally.

For a quick moment, the atmosphere changed, and what had looked like the easiest set of the game for the T-Birds began to crash. The eight-point advantage became a five-point advantage – and the Cascades had hope again.

This hope lasted less than a minute.

Borowski extinguished any revival with three consecutive service aces, stretching the lead to 19–10. The 'Birds were building up power each rally, while the Cascades grew more frenetic and anxious.

Again, this manifested in UFV’s unforced errors. With the score at 21–11, the next six points didn’t come at all from UBC — the three Cascades points came from kills on their side, while the three Thunderbirds’ points came from UFV service errors. It wasn’t about UFV’s abilities, but mostly about their mentality — and this mentality could cost them their season.

By this point, UBC looked ready to finish the match. In a last-minute attempt, even as the Cascades saved multiple late match points, the outcome never truly appeared in doubt. Fittingly, a final UFV service error sealed the set 25–16 and the match 3–1.

In the end, by succumbing to self-inflicted wounds, UFV didn’t look like the team that played the first two sets. The same can be said about the Thunderbirds — completely turning around an uninspiring opening act.

By winning this game, a second win against UFV would lead UBC to the Canada West semifinals. If they win, it would mark the school's 17th conference title — but they haven’t won since 2014. But even if they win the Canada West crown, there’s another step past that.

“I think we know what our end goal is,” Borowski said. “It's to win nationals as a team.”