VANCOUVER - The No. 1 UBC Thunderbirds take their 16-game win streak on the road to Brandon this weekend to take on a desperate Bobcats side fighting for the last available playoff spot. This weekend will be a happy homecoming for
Lisa Barclay, who will be playing her first-ever university matches in her hometown of Brandon. Both games will be live-streamed at
CanadaWest.tv.
GAME TIMES
Friday, Feb. 1
4 p.m. - No. 1 UBC at Brandon
Saturday, Feb. 2
3 p.m. - No. 1 UBC at Brandon
No. 1 UBC Thunderbirds (17-1)
Last Week: W 3-0, W 3-0 vs UBC Okanagan
The 'Birds certainly aren't letting up on the gas pedal as they approach the end of another dominant regular season. Far from it, in fact. UBC hasn't lost a single set in the last nine matches, and they haven't allowed an opponent to score more than 20 points in a set for the past 17 sets.
The usual suspects like
Shanice Marcelle,
Lisa Barclay,
Brina Derksen-Bergen and
Jessica von Schilling are doing their usual damage to anyone who steps on the court across from them. All four are among league leaders in their relevant stat categories, with Derksen-Bergen leading the conference assists race by nearly a full assist per game. And while liberos don't accrue the flashy stats that offensive players rack up, Briana Liau-Kent has been as solid as anyone in her role for the 'Birds, facilitating that high-powered offence with consistent passing and more than three digs per set.
But the 'Birds seem to be getting great performances from everyone lately. Abigail Keeping is a great two-way player in the middle, hitting over .300 for the season, and she's been deadly from the service line as well.
Speaking of great serving,
Kirsty Setterlund produced eight aces in the two matches she started at setter while Derksen-Bergen recovered from an injury a couple weeks back. She's been great in relief of Derksen-Bergen off the bench as well, adding great flexibility and depth to the roster.
Brandon Bobcats (8-10)
Last Week: W 3-0, W 3-1 at Saskatchewan
The Bobcats took care of business last weekend against the struggling Saskatchewan Huskies to keep pace in the playoff race. They are currently a game out of the last spot, trailing both Calgary and Manitoba.
The problem is, Calgary and Manitoba also swept through their anemic opponents (3-15 Regina and 0-18 TRU), so the Bobcats didn't gain any ground. And while Calgary and Manitoba both have tough opponents this week (16-2 Trinity Western, 13-5 Alberta), the Bobcats have the toughest of all in No. 1 UBC, so it doesn't look like they are going to be picking up any ground based on scheduling advantages. To jump up into playoff position they need to pull off an upset, so look for the Cats to leave absolutely nothing on the floor in their regular season home court finale.
Their offensive stats don't jump off the page at you, but one thing the Bobcats can do very well is block. They are the third-ranked blocking team in the conference, getting help from just about everyone on the floor. Alexis Loewen averages 0.91 blocks to lead the team from the middle, but the Bobcats have five other players averaging at least half a block per set this year. They will all need to stay active at the net to slow down UBC's multifaceted attack.
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