VANCOUVER - The No. 1 ranked Thunderbirds have a tough schedule ahead to finish the regular season, as they will have to fight off the second and third place teams in the conference, starting with the 12-4 Winnipeg Wesmen this weekend. A sweep wouldn't quite lock up first place for UBC, but it would knock Winnipeg out of contention and give the 'Birds healthy cushion atop the standings heading into the final weeks of the season.
Both weekend games will be webcast on
CanadaWest.tv
GAME TIMES
Fri., Jan. 27 - No. 1 UBC at No. 5 Winnipeg (4 p.m. at Duckworth Centre, Winnipeg)
Sat., Jan. 28 - No. 1 UBC at No. 5 Winnipeg (5:30 p.m. at Duckworth Centre, Winnipeg)
No. 1 UBC Thunderbirds
2011-12 conference record: 13-1 (1st)
2011-12 CIS ranking: 1
Last week: beat Manitoba 3-1 and 3-0
Streak: 5 wins
The T-Birds made short work of a dangerous Manitoba squad last week at home, winning six of seven ets, including four by at least six points.
Led by Canada West Female Athlete of the Week
Kyla Richey, the 'Birds were dominant on both sides of the ball as they have been for the better part of five years now. Three 'Birds reached double digit kills in the three-set match on Friday, and on Saturday Richey and
Lisa Barclay combined for 35 kills.
Richey now tops the Canada West kills leaderboard by a comfortable margin with 3.61 kills per game, and is also among the most efficient attackers in the league, especially for an outside hitter. High efficiency is just the status quo for the UBC offence though, as Richey's .262 hitting percentage is actually only third best even on her own team. Barclay is hitting .263 for her 2.96 kills per game, and her fellow sophomore Rosie Schagintweit leads the way with a .270 mark.
Reigning CIS Player of the Year
Shanice Marcelle is still rounding into form after battling injuries this year. She chips in 2.13 kills per game and is one of the top diggers on the team. Libero
Briana Liau Kent leads in that category with 2.52 digs, and is coming off a great weekend against Manitoba.
Middles Abbeyl Keeping and
Mariah Bruinsma are both top-five blockers in the conference this year, and when she's not distributing the ball to Canada West's top offence, setter Brina Derksen Bergen doubles as yet another superb blocker for the T-Birds. She is seventh in the conference with 1.02 blocks per game this year.
No. 5 Winnipeg Wesmen
2011-12 conference record: 12-4 (2nd)
2011-12 CIS ranking: 5
Last week: lost to Trinity Western 3-1, 3-0
Streak: 2 losses
Last week was a disappinting one for the Wesmen, who fell from No. 2 to No. 5 in the CIS rankings after being beaten soundly by Trinity Western on back to back nights. More importantly, it made their chances of overtaking the T-Birds for top spot very slim, as they now would need a sweep this week plus some help to get the job done.?
A look at the stats provides a puzzling picture of the Wesmen's 2011/12 season. They don't rank very high in any major statistical category, and yet they have been hot on UBC's trail atop the standings for most of the year. They don't rank very low in any category either though, and that jack-of-all-trades style has earned them a lot of wins and likely a very favourable seed for the playoffs.
Individually, the Wesmen do have a pair of statistical leaders in setter Brittany Habing and middle blocker Lauren Sears. Habing tops the charts with 9.67 assists, distributing the ball very well between four Wesmen attackers who make up the vast majority of the offence.
Sears is one of those four top attackers, averaging exactly three kills per game, and in addition to leading the team with 1.02 blocks, she is also the top server in the conference with 0.63 aces per game.
-30-
