VANCOUVER - The four-time defending national champions will get their toughest test of the season to close out the first half of their schedule, as the T-Birds travel to Alberta for a clash with the No. 2 Pandas this weekend. The T-Birds are the only remaining undefeated team in the conference, and are looking to build on their two-game cushion on top of the standings as the semester break approaches.
No. 1 UBC Thunderbirds
2011 conference record: 8-0 (1st)
2011 CIS ranking: 1
Last week: beat Calgary 3-0, 3-1
Streak: 8 wins
The T-Birds kept rolling last week with two quick wins over the Calgary Dinos at home, despite losing their second set of the season in game two of that series.
Lisa Barclay continued her impressive sophomore campaign with a match-high 15 kills in game two. She is second on the team behind
Kyla Richey with 2.92 kills per game.
Speaking of Richey, the national team player is having another fine season as well. She racked up 27 kills over the weekend and is currently second in Canada West with 3.36 per game. She is putting those big numbers up with efficiency too, as are most of her teammates. Richey is one of four T-Birds who rank top-15 in individual hitting percentage.
Unsurprisingly, the 'Birds lead in that category as a team. They also lead in opponent hitting percentage and blocks, proving that the defence has kept up with the powerful offence for coach
Doug Reimer's squad.
Mariah Bruinsma leads the league with 1.47 blocks per game, and Abigail Keeping is third with 1.33.
No. 2 Alberta Pandas
2011 conference record: 6-2 (3rd)
2011 CIS ranking: 2
Last week: lost to Manitoba 3-1, beat Manitoba 3-2
Streak: 1 win
The Pandas have split each of their last two weekends against tough opponents, first dropping a five-setter at home to Winnipeg for their first loss of the season, and last week losing 3-1 in Manitoba before bouncing back with a five-set win over the Bisons.
The Pandas are second only to UBC in hitting percentage, so the 'Birds will have their hands full with a potent attack in Alberta this weekend.
But as good as the Pandas are on offence, the defence may be key to sparking the team. Alberta's blockers were completely shut down in the loss to Manitoba, recording just three blocks in four sets while the Bisons hit .375 as a team in the match. In the win however, the Pandas recorded 16 blocks and held the Bisons under .100 hitting as a team, so the best defence for UBC may be a good offence if they can keep the Pandas off-balance and not allow them any easy points off their defensive work.
Krista Zubick leads the team with 3.13 kills per game, while Alena Omelchenko averages just under three. Middle blocker Jenice Warkentin has been one of the most efficient attackers in the league, hitting .405 on the season while adding just under one block per set.
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