The Matchup

The Thunderbirds start their quest for the west on the road in Saskatchewan to face a Huskies squad that fell short of the postseason last year with a 10-14 record. UBC will look to improve on their 17-7 regular season record in the CIS last year as a Top 10 team heading into opening weekend. Although Saskatchewan finished below .500, they earned the most wins for their school in over a decade.
 
Both Canada West foes will dress experienced lineups full of returning players to kickoff the 2016-2017 season with a doubleheader on Friday and Saturday at 5 pm.
 

Last Action

The T-Birds took home bronze two weeks ago on home court at the West Coast Classic tune-up tourney after defeating the Mount Royal Cougars in a tough five sets. UBC went 6-2 over the span of two preseason tournaments as they gear up to improve on their 4th place finish in the nation last season. 


 
Last season, Saskatchewan failed to win a set to the Thunderbirds and dropped both matchups 3-0. The Huskies most recently battled with the 'Birds at the Griffin-Panda Classic in September, where UBC took home yet another 3-0 victory.
 

By the Numbers

0.249 – UBC's total team hitting percentage last season, good for tops in the conference with Danielle Brisebois leading the way at a 0.305 clip.
 
332 – the most digs last year in the Canada West by Saskatchewan's Jennifer Hueser, who also led in digs per set with 3.69.

Players To Watch

Danielle Brisebois – (#12, Left Side) – A core veteran and key piece of the T-Bird attack, Brisebois is hungry to succeed in her 5th year and build off of impressive offensive numbers from a season ago.


 
Samantha Patko – (#2, Libero) – the experienced libero will be called upon to solidify the defense and look to improve on a 200 dig performance last year.

Coach's Take

"I think our team is very keen to get league play started because this is the latest start we've ever had," says UBC Head Coach Doug Reimer. "I've been doing this a long time, but still the excitement of starting league play is great. We're looking forward to getting the real show going."
 
"Our focus will be our own execution and I'd feel very good if we do a good job of taking care of our side of the net. I think against a team we don't know that well, we'll have to do a good job of defending against different hitters. The start of the season is a test to see how well we're able to make adjustments during the match."