VANCOUVER - The UBC Thunderbirds women's volleyball team (14-6), ranked sixth in the country are looking to stretch out their recent win streak this weekend, as the Saskatchewan Huskies (8-12) make their way to War Memorial Gym for a two-game series.
 
The first contest is set to start at 6 p.m. (PT) on Friday, February 12, while the second will begin at 5 p.m. (PT) on Saturday, February 13.
 
The 'Birds are coming off of back-to-back wins over the Thompson Rivers WolfPack, both of which came in convincing variety. Earning 3-0 and 3-1 decision over their Kamloops-based rivals, the T-Birds clinched a Canada West playoff berth with the weekend's victories.
 
Danielle Brisebois (Bolton, Ont.) continued her dominant season against the WolfPack, notching team-highs of 14 and 15 kills in the two games. However, the recent results don't paint a full picture of Brisebois' phenomenal season – consider this: at 3.74 kills-per-set (fourth) and an attack efficiency of 0.284 (fifth), the 6-foot outside hitter is the only player in Canada West ranked top-five in both categories.
 
For the season, as impressive as she's been, it hasn't just been Brisebois that powers UBC's high-octane attack. Alongside Brisebois, fellow outside hitters Alissa Coulter (Calgary), Juliana Kaufmanis (Richmond, B.C.), and Laura MacTaggart (Lacombe, Alta.) give UBC four players in the top 20 in Canada West for kills-per-set, the most of any team in the conference.
 
That depth, UBC head coach Doug Reimer notes, is something that could prove key down the stretch,
 
"I think, heading into the playoffs, it allows us to use different looks, and get girls some rest when they need it, knowing that there isn't going to be a drop in our ability to win the game," said Reimer. "If I'm honest, I hope it creates matchup and preparation problems for our opposition."
 
The Huskies' most recent showing saw them earn a 3-1, 3-1 split with the MacEwan Griffins. On paper, the Huskies average out to middle-of-pack when considering the major statistical categories - Saskatchewan sits 10th in attack efficiency (0.140), fifth in kills-per-set (11.99), third in digs-per-set (13.59), and dead last in blocks-per-set (1.32).
 
However, Reimer sees more in Saskatchewan than their raw numbers would suggest, and won't be taking them lightly come the weekend.
 
"They are a much-improved team when compared to last year, and they're going to come in hungry," said Reimer. "They're still chasing a playoff spot. I think they have a good balance across the board, and we're going to have to bring it at a high level in order to put some pressure on them and come out on top."