Vancouver, BC - The UBC women's volleyball team will travel to Edmonton to begin the 2014-2015 regular season. The Thunderbirds will take on the newest member of the Canada West, MacEwan University, on Friday at 5:00 pm PT, and again on Saturday beginning at 4:00 pm PT.
 
After a string of six consecutive CIS titles for the UBC women's volleyball program, the team conceded their reign and settled for a respectable second place finish at the 2014 CIS Championships. The team finished first in the Canada West with a record of 18-4 in the regular season, where they would continue on to defeat the University of Manitoba Bisons in straight sets for their second straight Canada West title. The Bisons gained retribution at the national championships, ultimately ending the Thunderbirds' CIS title streak with a victory against UBC in the championship final.
 
Abbey Keeping, Rosie Schlagintweit, and Lisa Barclay will return for their fifth and final year as members of the Thunderbirds women's volleyball team. These three players will have played all five years at UBC, and have won three CIS Championships thus far with the program.
 
In her fourth season as a Thunderbird, Keeping placed second in the conference in terms of attack efficiency, hitting at an impressive 30%. Keeping kept her best volleyball for the end of the season, earning her a spot on the CIS Championship All-Star team.
 
Keeping notes mental toughness and communication as key components towards the team's success for this season.
 
"Mental toughness is one of the biggest things that defines a top level team. [As a team], we've talked about trying to build up our communication and mental toughness," she said. "That's how we're going to play our best."
 
Schlagintweit, a graduate of Yale Secondary in Abbotsford, has been a significant asset for the Thunderbirds throughout the majority of her time at UBC. As the Thunderbird's starting right side, her 293 kills last season saw her named a CIS Second Team All-Canadian.
 
Left side Lisa Barclay has only recently rejoined Thunderbirds' training, as her role on the Canadian Senior National Team saw her competing at the World Championships in Italy for the early autumn.
Barclay comes off an impressive 2013-2014 season where led the nation in kills (4.26/set) and total points (4.99/set). For her performance, Barclay was named the CIS Player of the Year.
 
Danielle Brisebois and Alissa Coulter were among a select group that trained with the Canadian Senior National "B" Team this past summer. In their third and fourth years, respectively, Brisebois and Coulter round out a core of skilled outside players for the Thunderbirds.
 
Fourth year libero Katie Crawford will look to fill the starting defensive position for the Thunderbirds, following last year's graduation of libero Briana Liau Kent.
 
Juliana Kaufmanis returns for her third season as a Thunderbird. After spending majority of last season in a prominent left side role, Kaufmanis may be placed in a variation of the middle position for parts of this season.
 
UBC has several new faces joining the team for the 2014-2015 season. Setter Kelsey Clarke joins the Thunderbirds after playing three years at Camosun College. Clarke brings maturity and experience to the setting position, and will work in combination with second year Alessandra Gentile to run an effective offence for the Thunderbirds this season.
 
UBC will also introduce three true freshmen to postsecondary athletics this season.
 
Victoria Behie of Nanaimo will complete the trio of setters for the Thunderbirds. Behie is a diverse player that has experience in many positions throughout her volleyball career. Fellow rookie Ciara Hanly is described as a "pure middle", with good size and physicality. Hanly will have to adjust to the speed of postsecondary volleyball, largely looking to develop into a CIS player in the early stages of the season. Samantha Patko, a Vancouver product, also enters her first season with the Thunderbirds, looking to compete at the libero position for the Thunderbirds this season. She will be the only Thunderbirds rookie that will travel to Edmonton for the weekend's games.
 
This year's Thunderbirds team has sufficient depth in an array of positions, and will look to give experience to as many players as possible this weekend.
 
Macewan University, formerly a member of the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC), will enter its first season at the CIS level. The Griffins earned a bronze medal at the 2014 ACAC championships.
 
Head coach Doug Reimer will enter his 18^th season at the helm of the Thunderbirds team. Reimer acknowledges the challenges that the Thunderbirds will face this season.
 
 "We know it's going to be tougher this year. There are more teams that are contenders," he notes. "We're excited for the fight. Every week we're going to have to perform."
 
UBC was voted No.2 in the Canada West coaches' preseason poll.
 
Friday's game will begin at 5:00 pm PT, while Saturday's action starts at 4:00 pm PT. Both matches can be streamed live via canadawest.tv.