VANCOUVER - Losing volleyball games is just something that coach
Doug Reimer and the four-time defending national champion Thunderbirds don't seem to do anymore, so a 4-0 start to the season for the CIS No. 1 'Birds should come as no surprise.
This week they bring the show home for the first time this season to host the Saskatchewan Huskies, still hungry for their first win of the year, on Friday at 6 p.m. and Saturday at 12 p.m.
No. 1 UBC Thunderbirds
2011 conference record: 4-0 (1st)
2011 CIS ranking: 1
Last week: bye
Streak: 4 wins (10 straight regular season wins dating back to last season)
The T-Birds have dropped just one set so far en route to their four wins. That lost set happened to come on the one night
Kyla Richey failed to break the double digit barrier in kills. The national team outside hitter averages three kills per set, but it's actually sophomore hitter
Lisa Barclay who leads the team so far with an average just above three.
Then of course there is CIS MVP
Shanice Marcelle, who leads the team in digs and aces, while also contributing about 2.5 kills per set.
The real work has been done at the net though, where the T-Birds are crushing the blocking stats leaderboards through four conference games. As a team, the 'Birds average 4.23 blocks per set, which is almost two blocks more than anyone else. Individually, four of the top five and six of the top nine blockers are T-Birds.
Mariah Bruinsma leads the way with 2.10 per set, followed by Abigail Keeping's 1.90 average.
Saskatchewan Huskies
2011 conference record: 0-6 (11th)
2011 CIS ranking: -
Last week: lost to Alberta 3-1, 3-0
Streak: 6 losses
The Huskies are off to a tough start to the conference season, with just three set wins in their six matches so far. Last week they had the misfortune of running up against the CIS No. 2 Alberta Pandas, and it gets no easier with the four-time defending champion and No. 1-ranked T-Birds to look forward to.
The Huskies rank last in the conference in every team category that the Canada West tracks except blocks, where they rank ninth. Squaring off with the top-ranked team will be a difficult way to get back on track, but there are no easy games in the Canada West, so the Huskies have to start improving somewhere.
Candace Hueser leads the team with 2.52 kills per game. Laura Beadle is the leading blocker, averaging just under a block per game, and she's also the most consistent hitter on the team, with her attacking percentage of .245 making her the only Husky averaging more than a kill per game with a hitting percentage above .150.
