The drive for five is alive for Kyla Richey and the UBC Thunderbirds.
The Roberts Creek native is seeking her fifth straight national womens volleyball championship with the T-birds and started that quest by helping UBC clinch first place in the Canada West conference fittingly enough on seniors night Feb. 4.
UBC swept aside the Brandon Bobcats Feb. 4 and 5, earning a first-round playoff bye and hosting rights for the conference finals.
Richey led the way in the Friday match with 10 kills. She was honoured for her brilliant UBC career after the match along with fellow fifth-year Rayel Quiring. Richey was also in on four of UBC's nine blocks, including one solo block.
In the Saturday match, also won 3-0 by UBC, Richey had eight kills.
After the weekend, Richey reflected with fond memories of her five years at UBC.
It's pretty upsetting just because UBC has been such a great starting point and such an amazing opportunity, she said. It's definitely upsetting that I'm not going to be playing with these girls anymore, but I do have the opportunity to prolong my volleyball career which is really exciting.
There are some former UBC girls on the national team so I get to go back and play with them, which is exciting, and I'll be back to watch these girls at UBC next year for sure. But it is really sad that it's coming to an end here.
Head coach Doug Reimer has many fond memories of Richey and what she has brought to the team the past five years.
I'd like to bring all the Sunshine Coasters along with us on the playoff run because Kyla sure was a motivated player today with those supporters in the stands, said Reimer, referring to Richey's family and friends who came to watch her play on seniors' night Feb. 4. The way she was swinging on some of those balls, and her all-around play clearly showed how strong she is. I want to thank the support we get from the fans, and I know she's already back in her community developing players, which is just tremendous.
In terms of all-around play, not just as an attacker, but her blocking, serving and back court play are all so much improved. I think the development in the areas she needed to improve has been very noticeable this year.
With a long playoff run, hopefully ending in a fifth national title, Richey's concentration is on that in the coming months, but she also has her sights set on her post-UBC career.
We have Olympic qualifiers at the end of April until June. I'm hoping to go play pro in the fall. I'm just working with an agent right now, so I'm not sure yet where I'm going to go or where I want to go, but there definitely will be a new chapter to my career, she said.
UBC finished the regular season last weekend with a split in Langley with the Trinity Western Spartans losing the first match Friday night, but bouncing back to win Saturday night.
Richey led the way in Friday's loss with 15 kills, 12 digs and four blocks, and followed that up with 12 kills, nine digs, a block and an ace in Saturday's win.
UBC finished the season with a record of 18-2 and hosts the Canada West Final Four playoffs next weekend.
With submitted files from UBC athletics
