Box Score The University of Winnipeg Wesmen opened up a 2-0 lead and went on to defeat the UBC Thunderbirds 3-1 (25-20, 25-17, 21-25, 25-18) in he opening match of a weekend series Friday night in Vancouver, BC.
UBC started strong and kept pace with the visitors early before Winnipeg widened their 13-10 first set lead and a Bommersbach kill closed out a 25-20 win.
Late in the second, a Winnipeg misfire drew the Thunderbirds back to within five at 17-22, but the Wesmen's powerful offence combined with UBC defensive errors saw the 'Birds drop the second set 25-17.
A sneaky tip by Byron Keturakis gave UBC an early third set lead and the T-Birds started to build some momentum. Irvan Brar and Keturakis raised their level of play, but a marathon rally won by Winnipeg knotted both teams up at 11. With the score even at 16-16, Mat Guidi came up with a huge dig for the Thunderbirds that turned the tides back in favour of the 'Birds. Keturakis fired three crucial aces to win the third 25-21 and keep UBC's hopes alive.
UBC controlled play to start the fourth set – but it wasn't enough as the Wesmen came back to win the set 25-18.
The two teams will conclude the weekend series with a rematch on Saturday at 8:30 p.m. Winnipeg Time.
