VANCOUVER – The No. 6-ranked UBC Thunderbirds men's volleyball team return home this weekend with some solid momentum, coming off a pair of straight set road wins over the Regina Cougars last week. The T-Birds will square off against the visiting Calgary Dinos, ranked third in Canada, in a set of back-to-back contests this weekend, as they look to climb over the .500 mark.
 
The two matches between UBC and Calgary will take place on Friday, November 6 at 1:30 p.m. (PT) and Saturday, November 7 at 2:30 p.m. (PT). Both games will be held at War Memorial Gym, as part of UBC Thunderbirds Super Weekend.
 
Against Regina, UBC flashed the depth of talent that's had them ranked in the CIS top 10 since before the season began. The 'Birds won the first contest by set scores of 25-18, 25-21, and 25-20. The 'Birds were hyper-efficient in their attack, notching 38 kills to only six errors. Third-year outside hitter Mat Guidi (Coquitlam, B.C.) was a force, racking up 13 kills on just 20 attempts, while fellow third–year outside hitter Irvan Brar (Surrey, B.C.) racked up nine kills of his own.
 
The second night between the two clubs saw much of the same, as the 'Birds won by scores of 25-20, 28-26, and 25-17. Guidi again led all players in kills, this time with 12. Second-year setter Byron Keturakis (Surrey, B.C.) stuffed the stat sheet, racking up a game-high 32 assists, adding seven kills and seven digs to round out his performance. Keturakis had those seven kills on just nine attacks, as he led all players with a .667 hitting percentage.
 
Despite an effective attack in both outings, UBC head coach Richard Schick found that it was the work they put in to their defensive play that marked the biggest difference from his squad's two-loss performance against the Manitoba Bisons on the opening weekend of the season.
 
"We really worked on trying to solidify our first contact, which was a big thing that we felt broke down against Manitoba," said Schick. "I felt that our service reception was much improved last week, and that put our offense, defense, and overall game in a much better cycle."
 
Where the 'Birds are trying to build up some momentum, the Dinos are already charging along at full bore. Calgary has yet to drop a game this season, and armed with a 6-0 record, sit tied with the Bisons at the top of the Canada West standings.
 
On the attack, the Dinos are being led by fourth-year outside hitter Curtis Stockton. The Melbourne, Australia native sits third in Canada West with 95 kills, and also sits in a tie for eighth in service aces. Another standout has been second-year setter/libero Derek Meeuwisse, whose 57 digs have him third in the conference.
 
"Calgary's rolling. Right now, at 6-0, they're a team that's playing well, playing aggressively, and probably feeling good about themselves. So, it's going to be an extremely tough test for us. They're not only a top team in the conference, but in the country, so it's going to be a battle."
 
A part of UBC Thunderbirds Super Weekend, a Super Weekend Ticket, which will allow viewers to watch both men's volleyball contests, as well as the 11 other varsity games that are being hosted on campus over the two days, can be purchased here.