The Matchup

After a strong start to the season on the road, the Thunderbirds return home to host Winnipeg in a two-game series on Friday and Saturday at War Memorial Gym. A 2-0 UBC squad enters the second week of U Sports play in the top 10 ranked teams - coming in at No. 7 - while Winnipeg has yet to earn a victory and are 0-2. 

Friday's match will begin at 6 p.m., while the first serve on Saturday is scheduled for 5 p.m.
 

Last Action

The 'Birds kicked off the year with a bang. After shutting out the Saskatchewan Huskies on night one, it took a lengthy five games to topple Saskatchewan in their second match as UBC swept Saskatchewan 3-0, 3-2 in Saskatoon to claim their first two wins of the season.
 
Winnipeg finished with an 8-16 record in 2015-2016 and are currently winless in a pair this season. The Wesmen entertained MacEwan in their own home opener a week ago, dropping the first match 3-0 and the second 3-2.
 

By the Numbers

+10 – in the exact same number of matches, UBC served up 10 more aces (19) than Winnipeg (9).
 
2.88 – the number of Thunderbird blocks per set, fourth most in the CIS and over a block a set more than Winnipeg (1.63).
 

Players To Watch

Alessandra Gentile – (#17, Setter) – the fourth year sciences student racked up the most T-Bird digs with 13 and totalled 74 assists last weekend in Saskatchewan - good for eighth most CIS assists per set at 9.25.
 


Ciara Hanly – (#9, Middle) – at 6-foot-2, Hanly solidified UBC's front line of defence against the Huskies last weekend - totalling 10 blocks and added four aces.
 

Coach's Take

"Last weekend we showed that we can come back after being down in the set and down in match, and I think that will help us moving forward to this weekend," says UBC head coach Doug Reimer. "We realized that we need to be able to make adjustments more quickly and I think that will be another test for us this weekend. I hope we can play with more consistent energy and execution and hope that home court will help, combined with the confidence of knowing that we can raise our overall level of play in some other areas."