Box Score VANCOUVER, B.C. – The Canada West leading Trinity Western Spartans managed to come out on top in all three sets to sweep the UBC Thunderbirds 3-0 (25-21, 25-23, 25-22) at War Memorial Gym.
 
It's the fourth straight win for TWU, who improve to 18-2 on the campaign. The Thunderbirds fall to 8-10 on the season with the loss.
 
Leading the way for the Spartans was Hilary Howe (Calgary) with 10 kills followed by Ansah Odoom (Surrey, B.C.) and Mikaelyn Sych (Airdrie, Alta.) who each registered eight kills. Meanwhile Dora Komlodi (Calgary) matched a game high six service aces. 
 
For the T-Birds it was Gabrielle Attieh who matched the game high 10 kills while Brynn Pasin followed up with eight kills. Olivia Furlan added six service aces and 18 assists.
 
The T-Birds jumped out to a quick start on home court and a 7-1 lead following an emphatic Anna Price block which forced TWU to call their first timeout. The break served the Spartans well, responding by scoring the next six straight points to even things at 7-7 and causing UBC to call a timeout.
 
The 'Birds also responded in battling back and thanks to a Furlan ace the home squad took a 16-14 advantage into the technical timeout. Momentum would swing once again in TWU's favor highlighted by a demonstrative Odoom kill to give the visitors a 23-19 lead before a UBC net ball earned the Spartans a 25-21 opening set victory. Komlodi had a set high six service aces for TWU while Sych and Howe had three kills each.
 
The Spartans carried their effective play into the second set and an Avery Heppell (Langley, B.C.) block doubled their lead at 10-5 before a Pasin kill down the line and one of Furlan's three service aces in the period helped UBC narrow the lead and trail 16-12 at the technical timeout. Later in the frame Brynn Pasin would count three-straight points for the 'Birds followed by an Attieh block to even things at 21-21 but TWU would hold strong and secure the second set 25-23 after a UBC attack sailed long.
 
The third set began with the same back and forth trading of points as the previous two while back-to-back blocks from Tessa Davis and Pasin gave UBC a brief 9-8 lead. TWU would then go on a run thanks to a block from Sych and Odoom ahead of Jayden Bontkes (Langley, B.C.) went sky high for a big kill to give the Spartans a 16-13 lead into the technical timeout.
 
Despite UBC making it close at points down the stretch the Spartans were able to secure victory with help from Howe's kill leading to match point at 24-20 followed by one of Sych's three kills in the final set to secure the 25-22 victory and complete the 3-0 sweep.
 
QUOTABLE
Ryan Hofer – TWU Head Coach
 
"It was much better volleyball tonight than it was last night. Both teams seemed to execute better, and Mikaelyn was a big part of that for us. She hit with great efficiency for us, with some really timely kills and blocks. We always look froward to coming into the War Memorial. It being Pride Night tonight created a great environment and we loved every bit of it.

"We love our fans at home and on the road. It's just awesome when they come out and support us like they did tonight. We just want to thank The 300 and every Spartan fan who came out tonight. It was a great atmosphere to play in."
 
NOTABLE

• The Spartans were coming off a four-set win over the Thunderbirds Friday.
• TWU has now won two straight games over UBC after a four-match regular season losing streak against the Thunderbirds. Prior to the weekend, their previous win against UBC came Nov. 26, 2016 (3-1).
• The game was once again a rematch of last season's U SPORTS quarter-finals, which UBC won in five sets on their way to winning the national title. 

 
NEXT UP
The Spartans return home to face Brandon Friday (Jan. 31) and Saturday (Feb. 1) at the Langley Events Centre. 

About Spartan Athletics
As official members of U SPORTS, the Spartans currently compete in 11 sports in the Canada West conference, including women's and men's soccer, volleyball, basketball, cross country and track & field, as well as women's rugby sevens. TWU also competes in the British Columbia Intercollegiate Hockey League (BCIHL) in men's hockey and as an independent team in men's rugby. The men's and women's hockey programs will begin playing in Canada West and U SPORTS in 2020-21. Since TWU entered U SPORTS in 1999, the Spartans have won 12 U SPORTS team championships and 27 Canada West team championships and two BCIHL championships.
 
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