VANCOUVER - Fresh off a sweep of Saskatchewan, the UBC Thunderbirds are looking for a strong finish to their first half home schedule this weekend against the No. 6 Calgary Dinos. This is UBC's last home action until January, and a very important series as the 'Birds currently occupy fourth place in the standings, which is the last spot that earns home court advantage for the first round of playoffs. The Dinos are just behind UBC in fifth.
No. 5 UBC Thunderbirds
2011 conference record: 5-1 (4th)
2011 CIS ranking: 5
Last week: beat Saskatchewan 3-1, 3-1
Streak: 3 wins
Led by Canada West Athlete of the Week
Robert Bennett and his 28 kills, the T-Birds swept Saskatchewan last weekend with a pair of 3-1 wins to jump back up to fifth in the CIS rankings. The 'Birds are one of the top defensive sides in the conference, ranking third in blocking and opponent hitting percentage, and leading all teams in digs.
The middle blockers can do more than play defence for the 'Birds though.
Yari Kozel is making a mockery of the hitting percentage leaderboard early in the season with a .459 mark. No other Canada West player with enough attempts to qualify is hitting above .400 for the season.
Kozel is one of four T-Birds averaging at least two kills per game. College transfer
David Zeyha leads the way with 2.82, followed by Bennett with 2.75.
Jarrid Ireland has added 2.50 kills per game as a rookie.
Kozel's 1.33 blocks per game has him third in the Canada West in that category, but
Cary Brett made his return to the lineup from injury last weekend and averaged 1.75 blocks. His fellow fifth-year middle
Joe Cordonier has yet to play, but even with him out the 'Birds have been a tough side to handle at the net with Kozel and Brett running the show.
No. 6 Calgary Dinos
2011 conference record: 4-4 (5th)
2011 CIS ranking: 6
Last week: beat Brandon 3-1, lost to Brandon 3-1
Streak: 1 loss
The Dinos are coming off a stretch against two struggling teams in which they probably would have liked to go 4-0, but instead followed up their sweep of 1-7 Winnipeg with a split against 2-6 Brandon.
The Dinos were heavily outblocked on both nights by Brandon, but managed to steal a win in the first match on the strength of a combined 30 kills from Levi Nutma and Graham Vigrass. Vigrass hit .545 on the night while Nutma was an incredible .727 on his 22 attacks in the match. The two are both hitting over .300 for the season, and are second and third on the team in kills, both averaging just over 2.5 per game.
Chris Hoag leads the team with 3.07 kills, and setter Jay Blankenau is leading the conference with just under 11 assists per game. The one weak point for the Dinos has been their blocking, where they rank eighth in the conference. Only Trent Monagle averages more than a block per game for Calgary.
