VANCOUVER - The No. 1-ranked UBC Thunderbirds women's volleyball team can just about lock up first place with a successful stint at home this weekend against second-place Brandon, which also sits second in the CIS national rankings. Although a sweep wouldn't quite make it official, it would give the T-Birds at least a four-game lead, with only six games remaining, all of which are against teams that are currently at or below .500. A split would give them the same scenario but with a three-game lead.
GAME TIMES (both games at War Memorial Gymnasium)
Friday, Jan. 17
6 p.m. - No. 2 Brandon at No. 1 UBC
Saturday, Jan. 18
5 p.m. - No. 2 Brandon at No. 1 UBC
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A Bobcats sweep would make things a lot more interesting, as it would put them just one game behind the 'Birds. But before they can start thinking about sweeps, there's the little matter of UBC's 39-match win streak to consider. Nobody has won a regular season or playoff game against the Thunderbirds since October 2012, and the last time they were swept in a conference series was October 2010.
And there's a reason wins haven't come easy against UBC in recent years. There just aren't any weaknesses to exploit. Up the middle, UBC has two of the best two-way blockers in the conference in
Mariah Bruinsma and
Abbey Keeping. Both are in the top five in hitting percentage, the top 10 in blocking, and the top 10 in service aces. That's about everything a coach could want in even one star-calibre middle blocker, nevermind two.
And on the outside lurks the conference kills leader,
Lisa Barclay. She is head-and-shoulders above the competition with 4.30 per set, in addition to making big contributions defensively. And she also happens to be tied for 10th in service aces, giving UBC a deadly rotation at the line.
At setter,
Kirsty Setterlund is second in the conference with 10.41 assists per game, and while there aren't many flashy stats associated with the libero position, fifth-year
Briana Liau Kent brings plenty of experience and poise to the spot to keep things running smoothly for UBC.
Brandon centres its offence around the trio of Shanlee McLennan and Victoria Dakin on the outside, and Meaghan Robertson in the middle. They don't have the same kind of depth behind those three that UBC has, but McLennan leads the team with 3.48 kills per set, while Dakin adds 2.73 and Robertson 2.42, so that group is capable of scoring a lot and keeping up with just about any team in the league.
Robertson is also hitting .371, which is good for third in all of Canada West. She and her partiner in the middle, Alexis Loewen, both average about a block per game too, so it will be interesting to see which pair of talented middles get the best of that battle this weekend.
The Bobcats have won six of the last seven matches, including two last weekend in straight sets over Thompson Rivers on the road.
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