VANCOUVER - The top-ranked UBC Thunderbirds are set to host some of the top schools in the country for the Canada West women's volleyball final four this weekend at War Memorial Gym.
In the first semi-final on Friday, no. 3 Trinity Western will battle no. 5 Alberta at 3:30 p.m. before no. 1 UBC takes on no. 7 Manitoba in a CIS national final rematch in the second semi-final with first serve at 5:30 p.m. Ticket prices are $15 for adults, $5 for youth/senior/visiting students, and $2 UBC students.
All three medalists will advance to the CIS Championships set for March 4-6 at the University of Laval.
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Here's a preview of all four teams competing this weekend for the Canada West Championship.
A look at the Thunderbirds (CW: #1 CIS: #1)
The T-Birds cruised through the end of their regular season schedule with six straight three-set wins to finish first in the Canada West at 15-3, securing Final Four hosing rights and a first-round playoff bye.
It was a unique road to the postseason for the 'Birds, as they played most of the year without All Canadians
Jen Hinze and
Kyla Richey while they competed with the Canadian national team at the 2010 World Championships. Despite that twist, the T-Birds still boast the best hitting percentage in the conference (.246), the most blocks (2.72 per game) and the second best opponent hitting percentage (.130).
Shanice Marcelle shouldered much of the load in the absence of Richey and Hinze. She finished second in Canada West with 3.5 kills per game this season, and cracked the conference top ten with a .253 hitting percentage. She also shows up on the conference aces leaderboard, and her 2.75 digs per game leads all T-Birds.
Kyla Richey would be the conference kills leader if she had played enough matches to be eligible. She has averaged more than 3.7 per game since her return while hitting just under .300. Hinze is hitting just over .300 with about 2.2 kills per game.
Sophomore middle
Jessica von Schilling led the conference with 1.42 blocks per game this year, and she was also an efficient and reliable attacking alternative to Marcelle, Richey and Hinze. Veteran
Rayel Quiring has also played a big role this season, as a consistent presence for the T-Birds at the net and in the back court. Setter
Brina Derksen-Bergen finished just off the conference assists lead, averaging 10.14 per set in the regular season.
A look at the Spartans (CW: #2 CIS: #3)
The Spartans looked poised to take first place in the conference and earn a bye to the Final Four after beginning the year 7-0, including a sweep over UBC to start the season, but a pair of surprising losses down the stretch allowed the T-Birds to leapfrog them in the standings.
They took out their frustrations on Regina last week by sweeping their best-of-three quarterfinal series with a pair of 3-0 wins, and now their sights are back on winning the conference and earning a trip to nationals.
The Spartans have been a lockdown defensive team all season, leading the conference with a .111 opponent hitting percentage. That continued last week when they held Regina to sub .100 hitting in both matches while averaging nearly four blocks per set. Middles Alicia Perrin and Nicole Bazin both rank top five in conference blocking, averaging 1.3 and 1.1 blocks per game respectively.
Offensively, Kara Jansen Van Doorn sets the pace with her conference-leading 3.67 kills per game. She is also among Canada West service ace leaders, and she averages 2.4 digs per game.
A look at the Pandas (CW: #3 CIS: #5)
The Pandas squeezed past a tough Calgary squad with a pair of 3-1 wins last week, thanks largely to a big performance by Jaki Ellis. She racked up nine kills in game one to go with a blistering .421 hitting percentage, nine digs and four aces, and followed that up with 13 kills on .478 hitting in game two. She also grabbed 40 assists in the series while splitting setter duties with Alyssa Jones.
Ellis is tied with teammate Krista Zubick for the most aces in Canada West, and as a team the Pandas also lead the conference, averaging more than 2.3 aces per set.
When the Panda serves don't find the floor, Zubick and Tifanny Proudfoot are usually there to mop up, as both girls average just under three kills per game. They both also average over two digs per game, while libero Erin Walsh sits fourth in the conference with 3.5 digs per game.
A look at the Bisons (CW: #5 CIS: #7)
The Bisons stumbled into the playoffs with three straight losses to finish 10-8, forcing them to go on the road to take on Brandon in the quarterfinals. They managed to get back on track when it mattered most though, taking six of seven sets in Brandon to become the only road team to advance to the Final Four this season.
The quartet of Tricia Mayba, Kate Wasyliw, Rachel Cockrell and Kristi Hunter led the Bisons through their quarterfinal series with a balanced and potent attack. All four girls had at least eight kills in match one, and at least 12 in match two. Mayba was the top gun with a total of 28 in the series, including 13 kills on .429 hitting in match one.
Mayba, Wasyliw, Cockrell and Hunter all average over two kills per game for the season, but Manitoba's most dangerous weapon may not even be among that group. Ashley Voth has been contributing about 2.3 kills per game this season, and her .403 hitting percentage leads the conference by a wide margin. Only one other Canada West player is hitting better than .300 for the season. Voth can also contribute on the defensive end, as she averages one block per game.
WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL FINAL 4
Friday, February 25
3:30 p.m. Trinity Western vs Alberta
5:30 p.m. UBC vs Manitoba
Saturday, February 26
3:30 p.m. Bronze medal
5:30 p.m. Gold medal
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