WINNIPEG – The UBC Thunderbirds bounced back with a four-set win over the Winnipeg Wesmen Sunday afternoon, splitting their season opening series at the Duckworth Centre.

Led by Coltyn Liu’s 17 kills, the T-Birds (1-1) rallied from a first set defeat to rattle off three in a row (15-25, 25-23, 25-21, 25-23) while securing their first match victory of the season.

Liu also put up a match-high 24 points along with an impressive .407 attack percentage and six service aces.

As a whole, the ‘Birds put up eight service aces to Winnipeg’s three.

“We had been serving well but the wheels fell off the bus a little bit yesterday,” said UBC head coach Mike Hawkins who was pleased with his team’s resilience Sunday. “For our team, it’s a big piece of our identity and I think coming out of this game serving well and getting a win pushes the confidence for the rest of the season.”

Second-year T-Bird Matt Neaves added 14 kills and Libero Tyson Smith had 14 digs. As a team, UBC hit .250 on the afternoon while the Wesmen (1-1) managed .252.

Winnipeg’s Daniel Thiessen led the match with 18 kills on .222 hitting along with a team-high 13 digs.

The Thunderbirds have a short week of preparation before heading back on the road to Saskatoon where they’ll face the Saskatchewan Huskies Friday and Saturday, October 25th and 26th.

UBC will finally get to play in front of their own fans at War Memorial Gym on November 1st when they host the Mount Royal Cougars.

[SOURCE: UBC]