Box Score Friday, February 8, 2013 - Vancouver, B.C...Their set-win streak was snapped at 37, but the UBC Thunderbirds didn't let that spoil seniors night at War Memorial Gym on Friday, as they rallied to win their 19th straight match 3-1 over Mount Royal (25-18, 33-35, 25-15, 25-16), clinching a first-round playoff bye straight to the Final Four, which they will host.

The night wasn't lacking for story lines, with the No. 1 T-Birds honouring four highly-decorated seniors in their final weekend of regular season action. Then there's Lisa Barclay, who isn't one of those seniors, but did come up with perhaps her best game of the season, hammering down 24 kills on .500 hitting.
And of course, there was the 35-33 marathon set that ended UBC's incredible streak.

“It's been a long time since we had a real long tussle like that,” said UBC head coach Doug Reimer.

A long time indeed. Their last set loss was on Nov. 23 against Regina, and that one also went beyond the traditional 25-point marker, finishing up 27-25. UBC hadn't even won a set by less than four points since November, but with a bye week and then another playoff run fast approaching, Reimer appreciated the chance to test his squad's mettle.

“Really we didn't lose that set at the end, but in the beginning and middle where we were just too sloppy. That in itself is a good lesson, and full credit to Mount Royal because they really battled there. It was really good volleyball.”

The Cougars played impeccable defence late in the third set, staving off several attacks from the 'Birds that looked like sure points with excellent positioning and even better hustle. They amassed a total of 34 digs in the set. For a little perspective on that, the team with the most digs per set this season is Manitoba, averaging just over 14.

The T-Birds had eight chances at set point, but the Cougars had the answer every time, and they finally managed to string some points together beginning with a Kylie Willis kill to make it 33-33. Mackenzie Allen then chipped in her second ace of the match to give Mount Royal the advantage, and Carolyn O'dwyer finished things off with a kill off the block.  O'Dwyer led her team with 11 kills overall.

Unfortunately for the Cougars, they may have been better off letting sleeping dogs lie. The T-Birds woke up in a big way after that loss, hitting .478 as a team in the third set, while the Cougars hit well under .100 the rest of the match.

Derksen-Bergen is one of the team's four graduating players. She is leading the conference in assists by a wide margin, and added another 39 to her total on Friday, as well as a game-high 18 digs.

Shanice Marcelle, UBC's fifth-year outside hitter and former CIS MVP, had 11 kills, 12 digs and nine blocks in a fantastic all-around effort. Senior middle Jessica von Schilling matched that blocking performance with nine of her own, adding six kills, and senior libero Danielle Richards chipped in some key digs splitting time with Briana Liau Kent.

But as good as their seniors are, it was third-year left-side hitter Barclay who stole the show with 24 attacks and just two errors, adding 11 digs and a pair of blocks.

UBC remains a game up on second-place Trinity Western in the standings, and since the teams split their head-to-head series this year, the 'Birds have first place locked up by virtue of their stellar sets won-lost record, which would be the tiebreaker if necessary.

The 'Birds (20-1) and Cougars (14-7) wrap up the regular season on Saturday starting at 5 p.m.