VANCOUVER – The UBC Thunderbirds played the role of comeback kids on Friday night, falling behind in all four sets but rallying big to win three of them to earn a key 3-1 victory (25-22,13-25, 25-22, 25-22) over the Brandon Bobcats at War Memorial Gym despite suffering two key injuries.
Setter Chris Klassen of UBC had a strong match, racking up 26 assists over the final two sets and adding a pair of kills. Jarrid Ireland led UBC with 15 kills and 12 digs, adding four block assists.
Jonathan Sloane was nearly unstoppable for most of the night with 12 kills on just 16 attacks. Sam Tuivai and Ben Glue led the Bobcats with 13 kills each.
The win is a big one for the T-Birds, who have now clinched a playoff spot and moved one game up on both Brandon and Calgary in the standings. They currently sit in fourth, which would mean a home playoff series in the first round.
Brandon falls to 9-8, though they also have a playoff spot locked up. They will look to rebound on Saturday when they wrap up their series with the ‘Birds at War Memorial Gym at7:00 p.m.
