VANCOUVER – Coming off of a 2014 regular season that saw them go 2-2 and earn a spot in the Canada West playoffs, the UBC Thunderbirds are looking to use the 2015 campaign to continue their eventual progression into a national title contender.

"Our goals are always to qualify for the playoffs and do well in Canada West first," said third-year head coach Maria Gallo. "I think that, with a good season, we can show upcoming players that UBC is a high-calibre program and that we have the facilities, the staff, and the athletes to compete with anyone in the country. My expectations are for us to keep progressing, and to keep growing, both as a team, and a program."

The 2015 iteration of the T-Birds will feature several returning faces, including fullback Annabel Arnott (Abbotsford, B.C.), flyhalf Paige Smith (Surrey, B.C.), and team captain Louisa Hadley (Burlington, Ont.), who is moving from her usual lock position to the crucial eighth-man spot. Gallo impressed just how important her veterans, particularly these three seniors, will be in terms of experience and leadership. Gallo also mentioned junior flanker Gillian Boag (Calgary), who made her debut for the Under-20 Canadian national team this past summer, as a key piece of her lineup for the upcoming campaign.

"I'm definitely relying on [Arnott, Smith, and Hadley] to provide valuable insight in terms of overall strategy and on a play-to-play basis," Gallo remarked. "[Boag] is just that physical presence, a person who can set a tone. Between those four, I feel that we've got an excellent leadership group for our younger players to learn from."

While talking about those younger players, Gallo noted that a few were going to play key roles as impact subs, but specifically brought up freshman Madison Gold, whom she recruited out of G. P. Vanier Secondary in Courtenay, B.C., as someone who could make a big impact in her first year.

"She'll most likely be starting at that 13th position, which is the centre, so I've got some big expectations for her, but again, it's her first year, and varsity rugby is a faster level than high school-level rugby." Gallo said. "However, she has played provincial, so she should be able to adapt quickly. She's keen to learn, she's very coachable, and she's quite talented and skilled."

Talking about her ideas to improve on that 2014 record of 2-2, the head coach emphasized the importance of going into every matchup with the best mental and physical conditioning possible.

"We're not a big team, so, because we're smaller in stature, one of the key things that we're focusing on is being fitter and smarter than everyone else," admitted Gallo. "We've given the girls a solid team structure, and we've given them some solid phases that hopefully we're able to execute on the field. Another thing we've tried to instill in them is making sure that technique is flawless. When you're tired, that technique goes to the wayside, so we're really emphasizing fitness so that doesn't hurt us."

UBC will host three of its four games this season, with the lone exception being a clash October 4 with the Victoria Vikes in the provincial capital. The T-Birds will open their season this weekend, with their first game against the Calgary Dinos on Friday, September 25, and their second contest slated for Sunday, September 27 against the Lethbridge Prongorns.

The opening whistle for the September 25 game against Calgary is set for 4 p.m. (PT), while the game against Lethbridge is scheduled for a 1 p.m. (PT) start. Both games will be played at the Gerald McGavin UBC Rugby Centre.