VANCOUVER - The UBC Thunderbirds pushed the winning streak to 12 games with a pair of convincing victories at home last week, and now have a great chance to continue their success away from War Memorial as they pay a visit to the winless Thompson Rivers WolfPack this weekend. Both games will be streamed with live statistics at
CanadaWest.TV.
GAME TIMES (both games at TRU Gymnasium, Kamloops)
Friday, Jan. 18
6 p.m. - No. 1 UBC at Thompson Rivers
Saturday, Jan. 19
5 p.m. - No. 1 UBC at Thompson Rivers
No. 1 UBC Thunderbirds (13-1)
Last Week: W 3-0, W 3-0 vs Winnipeg
The T-Birds smothered Winnipeg last weekend, holding them to 16 points or less in all but one set. Those two straight-sets victories made it five straight for UBC without losing a set, and they have still dropped just two sets in total since losing their second match of the year at Trinity Western.
It's hard to find a weak spot in this team, whether you're watching in person or flipping through statistics. The 'Birds rank first or second in just about every significant stat category, and they have so many players that make contributions in all those categories. And if you showed up to see what that looks like last weekend but got caught in traffic, you might have missed it entirely, as the T-Birds ripped through Winnipeg in a little over an hour in game two.
Their great team serving is a big reason they dominante games so completely. The 'Birds had Winnipeg out of system all series long, and that hasn't been a rare occurance this year.
Shanice Marcelle has been one of the most consistent servers for UBC, but
Lisa Barclay has had some great runs as well, and middle blocker Abigail Keeping is among league leaders in service aces.
Thompson Rivers WolfPack (0-14)
Last Week: L 3-0, L 3-0 at Saskatchewan
As the T-Birds zip down the fast track to another playoff run and title defence effort, the WolfPack are skidding along in the exact opposite direction. They remain winless on the year with just a single set win, and they lost a set 25-7 last week for the third time this season.
It's definitely a rebuilding year for the 'Pack, with a roster almost completely full of rookies and just one third-year player and no seniors. That third year player is 6-foot-3 middle Katarina Osadchuk, who is averaging 1.67 kills on .161 hitting. She is the only WolfPack player with a hitting percentage above .100, and the team mark is .017 for the year.
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