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MVB: UBC (3) at MRU (1)

The Cougars men came in hot off last night's win but couldn't capitalize. UBC forced a weekend split and took tonight's game 3-1; 25-18, 18-25, 17-25, 23-25.

It was a tough match-up to start the game, UBC closing every lead MRU got instantly and vice versa. It wasn't until late in the set that the Cougars were able to find their footing and take off. 

Mount Royal ended up having an explosive set, finishing with a 0.453 hitting percentage across the team, and Jacob Bretton sitting at 0.750 independently. They managed to push through and finish the set up 25-18 over the T-Bird, putting them in good position going into the second set. 

UBC was ready at the start of the second, with Conaire Taub having another incredible performance following Friday.

Taub had put down 11 kills for the team by the end of the second and was an offensive powerhouse. The team is still finding a way to fill the gap left by Matt Neaves after injury in November but are moving in the right direction. Neaves still sits first in Canada West for both service aces and Kills per set despite not playing for the last two months. 

UBC led 12-9 going into MRU's first time out of the night. Coming out of the break the Cougars put up a quick three to get them to a tie and back into the running. It wasn't enough of a momentum swing to save the set, with the T-Birds taking flight and winning the set 25-18. 

Both teams got off to a slow start in the third set, with messy rallies and service errors ruling the points. British Columbia found their rhythm and were electric, gaining an 11 point lead against MRU before Michael Dowhaniuk made a service error and transferred over the serve. Jacob Van Geel sent the serve right back and brought the UBC lead to 21-10. 

Jovan Stepanovic was the saving grace for MRU in the third, getting three kills back-to-back-to-back, closing the gap, but the Thunderbird lead was too much. UBC took the set 25-17 and brought the lead to 2-1 in their favour going into the fourth. 

Taub and Dowhaniuk were the dynamic duo fueling UBC offence, putting down 18 and 14 kills respectively. Taub also finished the night with four aces, four blocks and 11 digs. 

The fourth and final set was a battle back-and-forth, neither team able to take off until late. The biggest issue for the Cougars was their service, giving up 20 points on faulty serves alone. The Thunderbirds saw the opportunity to use this momentum in their favour and did. 

MRU brought the game to a tie at 23, coming back from a three point deficit, but conceded the match with a final two service errors, giving UBC a 25-23 set win. 

After tonight, UBC advances to 11-7 while the Cougars fall to 14-4 before heading into a bye week. Mount Royal will return on February 3rd, heading north to Edmonton where they will take on the University of Alberta Golden Bears. UBC will be back in Calgary the 3rd, taking on the CGY Dinos.

Player of the game: Jacob Van Geel


WVB: UBC (0) at MRU (3)

MRU women's volleyball made their third consecutive three set win tonight, after defeating UBC 25-22, 25-22, 25-22 in their Saturday night showdown. This win extends their winning streak to five. 

The Thunderbirds were aggressive out the gate after Mount Royal's three set win last night, and put up a stronger offence throughout the first than we saw yesterday. 

Quinn Pelland stepped up early for MRU, with repeated jousts and battles at the net against the UBC left side, Cara Kovacs. 

Dholi Thokbuom made an entrance, throwing down a kill almost instantly after subbing into the game. The momentum shifted and UBC was forced to take both time outs, only three points apart. British Columbia couldn't seem to keep the ball in bounds against increased Cougar pressure. 

Kayla Oxland made the recovery for UBC, with a kill to bring back the energy, but the Cougars didn't allow the T-Birds to heat up with Thokbuom claiming another kill right after to keep the swing in their favour. 

MRU went up to lead 22-13 before UBC reset and got back into position.

Kylee Glanville was unstoppable, with four consecutive kills for UBC, two coming from a quick right side attack straight down the line. Her third and fourth points came after finding a weak spot in MRUs block. She was the driver behind a nine point run and impressive comeback. 

Madison Marshall made a miracle kill to end the set with so much power the dig bounced the length off the gym and out of bounds back on MRU's side.

The second set belonged to Thokbuom and Osczwvski. Thokbuom in the middle and Osczevski's presence on defence were a problem for UBC. There was a very similar look to the first set, with MRU holding a strong lead for the majority of play before a massive gain from the T-Birds, closing the gap. 

The Cougars still came out on top, claiming the set 25-22 and bringing their lead to two. 

UBC and MRU were going point for point from the start of the third set. It wasn't long before the Thunderbirds were able to create a small lead over the Cougars and were able to hold that lead for the majority of the game. MRU started to close the gap going into the final few points, down by two sitting 18-20, and forced UBC into timeout.
 
Mount Royal didn't let the time out shift momentum, and propelled themselves forward. They overtook the lead at 22-21 and forced a second UBC timeout. 

Haley Roe sent a C-ball hard just out of reach of Kacey Jost bringing the score 24-22 before a double block by Mya Morgan and Osczevski made the final point of the night and claimed the game.

Morgan was named MRU's player of the game, with an unbelievable court presence and finsihing the night with six kills, eight blocks, two digs and an ace. 

"It was definitely a big fight against a big team night, but it was a really great game," said Morgan. "We are going to take this bye weekend and really rest."
 
Mount Royal now improves to 12-5 on the season while UBC falls to 14-4. The women now head into a bye week before travelling north to Edmonton, playing Alberta February 3.  

Player of the game: Mya Morgan


Away Games:

WBB: MRU (79) at MAN (69)

MBB: MRU (80) at MAN (97)