T-Birds tame Huskies in Halloween sweep

SASKATOON – The Thunderbirds (4-0) did one better than they did the previous night, as they took down the Saskatchewan Huskies (1-3) in three sets rather than four (25-15, 25-17, 25-16).

The Huskies were unable to get anything consistent going on offence throughout the match, and finished with just one more kill (27) than attack errors (26). The T-Birds also won the serving battle, finishing with six aces and just three service errors compared to no aces and 10 errors for the home team.

Ella Ungemach had a big day for the T-Birds, finishing with 11 kills, eight digs and two aces, all of those numbers season-highs. Jocelyn Lenarcic notched seven blocks along with five kills, while Aimee Skinner tallied eight kills, eight digs and four blocks.

The trio of Rosetta Cyr, Jessica Bergstrom and Mackenzie Lyburn all reached the seven-kill mark for the Huskies, but all had a hitting percentage under .100.

After a couple of Saskatchewan blocks gave them an early 5-2 lead in the opening set, the Thunderbirds proceeded to score seven of the next eight points to assert themselves in the match. 

Another big run of six straight later in the frame gave them a lead they would not relinquish, as the T-Birds showed their offensive depth through five different players landing a kill within their final eight points of the set – Lenarcic, Skinner, Ungemach, Elizabeth Lee and Emelie Silovs.

The second was truly a set of runs, with the two sides combining for seven streak of three or more consecutive points. UBC boasted four of them, and the last one was fittingly the largest: seven straight to end the set after the Huskies had briefly cut the T-Birds’ lead to just one point at 18-17. 

Lenarcic and Skinner combined on two consecutive blocks early in the third, powering an early lead that again allowed the T-Birds to play from the front. While the Huskies fought hard to avoid the sweep, tying the score twice at 10-10 and then 11-11, the blue and gold then stepped on the gas again with a 6-1 run capped by an Ungemach kill. Akash Grewal earned the final point of the match with a kill, as the T-Birds now head into November with a 4-0 record.

The Thunderbirds will face a big test next weekend as they return home to face the Thompson Rivers WolfPack, who rank No. 7 in the latest U SPORTS Top 10. Those matches are set for November 6 and 7 inside War Memorial Gym.