Jayde Robertsen’s homecoming couldn’t have had a better ending.
The former South Delta Sun Devils standout helped the UBC Thunderbirds capture the U Sports national women’s volleyball championship on Sunday in Edmonton after a thrilling five-set victory over the defending champion Ryerson Rams. Robertsen, a 6-foot-2 middle blocker, began her collegiate career at Eastern Washington before transferring to UBC.
The 2017 SDSS graduate wasted little time in making an impact, cracking the starting line-up 29 of 30 matches. She ranked third on the team with 185 kills.
UBC entered the nationals as the eighth seed and opened with a five-set win over BC rival and No. 1 Trinity Western (25-23, 27-25, 23-25, 23-25, 16-14). Robertsen recorded nine kills and five blocks.
The Thunderbirds then defeated Dalhousie 3-1(25-20, 22-25, 25-16, 25-21) in the semi-finals with Robertsen adding five more kills.
The championship match saw Ryerson jump out to a two set lead (14-25, 20-25) before the Thunderbirds rallied with a pair of 25-20 wins to pull even. The decisive game was 15-11.
UBC finished the game with a .245 attack percentage to Ryerson’s .197. That’s after UBC started the match hitting just .062 in the opening set. The slow momentum swing was palpable over the course of the match, eventually shifting heavily into UBC’s favour.
The triumph ended an improbable journey.
“We were 0-3 in league (to start the season) but battling to even get into the top five in playoffs," said UBC head coach Doug Reimer after receiving his eighth gold medal with the T-Birds and ninth overall. "Four weeks on the road, including this one, out of the past five. The resilience that they have showed over the season has made this special.
“I'm just so grateful that we were able to hang around and demonstrate our perseverance through tough situations," added Reimer. “I think it showcased our team and it showcased what the sport can be. No matter how long you've been doing this, every match is going to bring fresh challenges and this brought a whole lot of them.”
