The University of British Columbia Athletics

Vancouver, BC - 2014 did not start quite as planned for the No. 4 ranked UBC Thunderbirds. They lost their first two matchups against the UBC Okanagan and were without star outside hitter Ben Chow.
 
They then rebounded convincingly against Brandon and swept last weekend's series against the Bobcats.
 
This weekend they head to Calgary to take on the Mount Royal Cougars with the knowledge that two wins would secure them a playoff spot and give them a great chance at a home quarterfinal.
 
With Chow back in the lineup, UBC's offense looks back to business as usual. Currently they rank third in hitting percentage in the Canada West, and junior Alex Russell has a lot to do with that. Russell is second in the conference with a hitting percentage of 0.447. UBC also rank second in kills, top hitter Chow sits seventh individually. Milan Nikic sits atop the Canada West in service aces with 0.55/set and he also ranks fourth in the conference for assists per set.
 
One worrying aspect of the Thunderbirds' season is their poor road record. A brilliant 9-1 at home, they have struggled on the road and currently sit 3-4. Additionally, all three of those wins away from home have come against sub-.500 teams. They will be looking to better that figure against the Cougars this weekend who sit 8-8 heading into the back end of the season.
 
The Cougars are largely reliant on Colton de Man to lead their attack. When he fails to fire on offense, more often than not so does the team. He sits third in the Canada West for kills (4.05/set) and points (4.65/set). He has alongside him a towering teammate in 7'1 Grigor Kartev. Kartev is sixth in the conference for blocks with 1.13 a set and has already represented France internationally.
 
Mount Royal has a disciplined defense, they are third in opposition hitting percentage and fifth in blocks. That is one area that they matchup favourably with the Thunderbirds, who rank a league last 12^th in blocks, and will look to score freely without a strong net presence.
 
They last took on the Cougars in February of last year and won both matches in straight sets.
 
Friday, January 24^th
No. 5 UBC at Mount Royal – 6:30pm (PST)
 
Saturday, January 25^th
No. 5 UBC at Mount Royal – 4:00pm (PST)