BRANDON – The Brandon University men's volleyball team fell in a hard-fought playoff-picture setting match on Friday night at the Healthy Living Centre against the UBC Thunderbirds.
 
The seventh-ranked Bobcats grabbed a commanding two sets to none lead in the crucial contest, but the sixth-ranked T-Birds rallied for the victory to lock up home-court advantage in the playoffs.
 
In the opening set, BU took control early with an 8-5 lead. The thrilling first set tightened up at the technical timeout with the Bobcats up 16-15. The back and forth battle continued with Brandon holding a slim 21-19 advantage. The Bobcats then took four of the next six points to pick up the win.
 
Brandon had a strong start in the second with a 6-1 run putting them out on top 8-4. It was déjà vu for the Bobcats in the late stages of the set with another 6-1 stretch giving them a 20-12 lead. Brandon held set point at 24-14, before the T-Birds strung together four straight points to make 24-18, but that is as close as they would get.
 
The two sides traded shots in the third. Brandon started with a 4-0 run, but UBC quickly countered with a 4-0 run. The T-Birds put together runs of 5-0 and 5-1 that helped set the stage for them to avoid the sweep.
 
The fourth set saw the Bobcats regain momentum as they opened with a 5-1 lead. Brandon's advantage was 14-12, before UBC scored five straight points to go out in front 17-14. A short and sweet 3-0 run by the Bobcats narrowed the gap to 22-21 late, but the T-Birds arrived to the finish line first.
 
In the tension filled final set, a massive Brandon block gave the Bobcats an all-important 8-6 lead. BU led 10-8, before UBC erased the deficit and pulled ahead for good with a 6-2 run to complete the comeback.
 
Mat Guidi was the top scorer for the Thunderbirds with 18 kills as UBC picked up their eighth win in their last nine matches. Irvan Brar was next with 13 kills, while Jordan Deshane added 11 kills for the T-Birds, who upped their record to 16-and-7.
 
Roy Ching collected a double-double with a match-high 20 kills and 12 digs for Brandon, who slipped to 13-and-10.
 
The playoff-bound Bobcats will try to bounce back on Saturday night against the T-Birds to cap off the Canada West regular season. The outcome will determine BU's final spot in the standings and their destination for their quarter-final series this coming weekend.