It may have taken them 30 seasons to win another national title, but it took them only one year to repeat that feat.
The University of British Columbia (UBC) Thunderbirds women's volleyball team became the first team to win back-to-back national titles (since Manitoba did it in 2001/02) with a thrilling five-set (25-20, 22-25, 29-27, 20-25, 15-9) win over the Calgary Dinos last Saturday at the University of New Brunswick in Fredericton.
Roberts Creek's Kyla Richey, in her sophomore season with the T-Birds, led the team with 18 kills and added five block assists and two aces en route to being named the championship tournament MVP. Fellow Creeker Natalie Eades came off the bench throughout the tournament and provided valuable minutes for the club on their way to their second straight championship.
"I think at the start of the year your goal is always to win," said UBC head coach Doug Reimer. "This year was different than last year. We had a tough season at times - lots of injuries and all the teams in our conference were very tough. To win the conference and just get back to nationals was not an easy feat. From a coaching side, it is very rewarding to go back and do it again."
UBC started the tournament with a 3-1 win over Moncton last Thursday. Richey had 11 kills and 15 digs in the match.
In the semifinal Friday, UBC dominated Laval, winning 3-0. Richey had five kills and 10 digs in that match. Montreal won the bronze medal, beating Laval 3-2, while Trinity Western finished fifth, beating York in the consolation final.
At one point this season, UBC was 7-5, battling injuries to key personnel and fighting for the playoffs. But other players stepped up, a key thing in the "team" concept that Reimer instilled in the squad.
"Everybody played their role and contributed and clearly we were the best team in the ways you define that," he said. "This is such a solid group that gets along so well on and off the court."
Keys in that team concept included Richey and Eades, who both played different roles.
"We knew when we recruited Kyla she would be a good player; it was just how good that was the question," he said. "Injuries sometimes can create situations and that situation was created for Kyla. Another factor was when we moved her to the right side and she did a great job of adjusting to that position. That was a positive for her and the team as a whole. "As far as the individual awards go, I think Kyla herself would say that they could have gone to anyone, but there is no question that in the second half of the season and playoffs she was the go-to offensive person. She was outstanding in the final match."
As for Eades, Reimer said she was a strong role player who did everything asked of her and more.
"Natalie was in a tough situation because the two middle blockers ahead of her are both on the national team. From a fitness standpoint and ability standpoint, Natalie is probably the best non-starting middle in the country," he said. "Not being a starting player and coming in off the bench - players like that can sometimes bring a team down, but Natalie brought the team up and at key times when we struggled, she was very important."
Richey said this year's championship was a different experience for her.
"I didn't play that much last year and this year I started and played a lot. Last year too was so long between championships, so to finally win was really special, but this one is pretty special too," she said. "Canada West is the hardest conference in the country. All six teams could have gone to nationals, so to win the conference and go to nationals was awesome. Winning it was even better."
She said winning the MVP award was a huge surprise.
"When they said my name I kind of just stood there for a few seconds-I couldn't believe they called my name," Richey said. "I don't think that or the fact that we won another championship has really sunk in yet."
After a few weeks off, UBC gets back to action with training and light practices. Many of the players have commitments during the summer with the national team, including Richey.
"The whole thing is kind of unbelievable," Richey said. "Some of the younger girls are already calling for a dynasty. It's going to be even harder next year, but we know what road we have to take and we know what we have to do."
