UBC and Trinity Western win national volleyball championships
Posted March 18, 2019 8:26 am.
Last Updated March 18, 2019 8:35 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – For the second time in three years, the UBC Thunderbirds have won the 2019 U SPORTS Women’s Volleyball Championship.
The team claimed the title this weekend at the University of Alberta in Edmonton.
“We were the underdog,” says Thunderbirds’ outside hitter Kiera Van Ryk, who was named the tournament’s MVP. “We were in eighth and beat the number one seed which is, I don’t know how often that happens.”
Thunderbirds coach Doug Reimer admits the season had its challenges.
“Here was a team that started the year 0-3 and was able to finish 3-0, and that’s what you want,” says Reimer.
“We just had some outstanding players and students and people, and so you give yourself a chance to be successful even when sometimes things don’t look like they’re going your way.”
The Thunderbirds came from behind in the final match to defeat the Ryerson Rams in five sets.
Earlier on Sunday, the Trinity Western Spartans won the 2019 U Sports Men’s Volleyball Championship at Université Laval in Quebec City.
“Last year we lost in the final, and it stings worse than any other loss there is, so we weren’t going to let another opportunity get away,” says Spartans coach Ben Josephson.
The Spartans defeated the Brandon Bobcats in the final for Trinity Western’s third national title in four years.
