Vancouver, BC - The UBC men's volleyball team will play host to the University of Regina Cougars at War Memorial Gym for the last weekend of regular season play this Friday and Saturday. The Cougars (2-20) are in second last place in the conference while the Thunderbirds (11-11), are currently in a four-way tie for the seventh and in a battle for a playoff spot.
The Thunderbirds have grown accustomed to a very competitive Canada West conference over the years according to Head Coach Richard Schick. In spite of the fact that the Cougars can boast only two wins so far this season, Schick says his team will not be taking anything for granted at this crucial point in the season.
"There's certainly no room for complacency," says Schick. "One of Regina's wins this season came on the road against one of the top teams, Thompson Rivers University. They've tasted that kind of victory, so it's up to us to go hard out there."
The Cougars are coming off of a split weekend at home in Regina. They hosted the last place team in the conference, MacEwan University, who managed to pull off their first win of the season after being defeated by Regina on Friday. The Cougars' player to watch is defensive powerhouse Jacques Borgeaud, a 4th year Libero from Brisbane, Australia. Borgeaud leads the conference in digs per set with an average of 2.77.
The Thunderbirds, on the other hand, are coming into their last home games of the season from a dramatic weekend on the road in Calgary. The University of Calgary Dinos, fighting to claw their way into a playoff position, came blazing out of the gates on Friday evening to beat the Thunderbirds in straight sets. Saturday's rematch proved to be a completely different story however, as UBC turned around and defeated their hosts without giving up a single set, effectively killing the Dinos playoff hopes and keeping their own alive.
The T-Birds will be looking to their veteran players Milan Nikic and Ben Chow for the offensive push that they need for another much needed victory. Nikic is fifth in the league for assists per set, while Chow has the 5th best hitting percentage. Defensively, Chris Howe has been a rock for the T-Birds all season thanks to his blocking performance which puts him at 3rd in the league with an average of 1.19 blocks per set.
The Thunderbirds are hoping to use that same energy which fueled their big victory last weekend in order to continue to chase their own playoff dreams at home. "The stakes are high, but we know what we have to do out there," says Schick. "It's time to take care of business."
This weekend will aslo mark the final regular season home games for graduating seniors Howe, Ian Perry, and Quentin Schmidt.
Friday's action starts at 8:00 pm. at War Memorial Gym, followed by Saturday's match starting at 7:00 pm.
