VANCOUVER – This weekend, the No. 7-ranked UBC Thunderbirds men's volleyball team will look to break the goose egg in their win column, as they travel to Saskatchewan to take on the Regina Cougars in a set of back-to-back contests on Friday, October 30 and Saturday, October 31. Friday's contest is slated to start at 6:30 p.m. (PT), while Saturday's showdown is set for a 7:30 p.m. (PT) start. Both games will be held at the Centre for Kinesiology, Health & Sport.
 
The T-Birds didn't start the season in an ideal fashion in their home-opening set of games last weekend. Taking on the Manitoba Bisons twice to kick off their Canada West campaign, the T-Birds dropped both contests.
 
Outside hitter Irvan Brar (Surrey, B.C.) had a terrific weekend, as he sits third in Canada West in kills per set (4.5) and fourth in hitting percentage (.359). Alex Russell (Surrey, B.C.) had a solid couple of matches in the middle, as the 6-foot-10 fifth-year senior is ranked third in CIS with 1.25 blocks per set.
 
Like the T-Birds, the Cougars are looking to rebound following some disappointing early-season play. After starting out the year by beating the UBC Okanagan Heat in their first match, Regina have lost three straight contests – one to the Heat, and then two to the Mount Royal Cougars.
 
Again, just like the T-Birds, the start hasn't hampered the performance of a few key individuals for Regina. However, where the T-Birds stars so far are long-time veterans like Brar and Russell, the Cougars are being led by a couple of transfer students in their first CIS season.
 
First among the key additions for Regina is outside hitter Johshua Nickel, who leads the Cougars with 46 kills this season, an average of 3.07 per set. The other new face that is currently making a huge impact is Bronson Busch, a 6-foot-6 transfer middle from Lethbridge College who has racked up 14 blocks, also good for the team lead.
 
The T-Birds will return home next week to take on the Calgary Dinos as part of the UBC Thunderbirds Super Weekend.