Need to Know

VANCOUVER - The UBC Thunderbirds women's volleyball team (16-6, 4th in Canada West, 7th in CIS rankings) make the long trek to Langley, B.C. to take on the Trinity Western Spartans (19-3, 2nd in Canada West, 3rd in CIS rankings) for a regular season-ending two-game series this weekend.
 
The two sides will first clash at 6 p.m. (PT) on Friday, February 19, and the second game between the 'Birds and Spartans is scheduled for 5 p.m. (PT) on Saturday, February 20. Both games will be held at Trinity Western's Langley Events Centre.
 

Last Week

The T-Birds continued their sterling recent form of recent weeks, earning a perfect 3-0, 3-0 sweep over the Saskatchewan Huskies.

 

By The Numbers

0 – Nothing that transpires this weekend will affect the final Canada West standings with regards to the T-Birds' first round playoff opponent. No matter what happens against Trinity Western, the 'Birds will be playing the Brandon Bobcats in the conference quarterfinals the next week.
 
1 – The amount of sets that the T-Birds have dropped over four matches in a scorching hot February. Not only has the month seen the Blue and Gold go 4-0, but it's also seen them pick up their intensity significantly after a mid-season slump in January. The 'Birds will need all of that new-found focus against Trinity Western and in the playoffs ahead.
 
4.38 – That's the number of kills/set that UBC outside hitter Danielle Brisebois (Bolton, Ont.) has been crushing over the club's recent four-game win streak. The number marks a significant jump from her already impressive season-long mark of 3.82, which has her third in Canada West.
 

The Matchup

The two teams last squared off in an exhibition match prior to this season, with Trinity Western earning a clean 3-0 win over the 'Birds. As for the last regular season match, one would have to go way back to January of 2015, when the two B.C.-based clubs split the series 1-1 on a 3-2 win for UBC followed by a 3-0 win for the Spartans.
 
This season, at 19-3, it stands to reason that Trinity Western would be loaded with individual talent, but even that might be an understatement. The Spartans are the only team in the Canada West with at least one player in the top five of every major statistical category. Led by outside hitter Sabrina Carpentier, who sits tied for third in kills/set (3.82), fourth in kills (279), fifth in hitting percentage (.279), and fourth in service aces per set (0.48), Trinity Western will bring some major talent to the court on Sunday.
 
Even though this game doesn't mean a thing for the 'Birds in terms of the standings, the ever-present intensity in the UBC-TWU matchups and the high caliber of their opponent should prove an excellent testing ground as they gear up for the post-season.
 

Coach's Take

"First and foremost, it has the potential to be tremendous volleyball and it's going to help us prepare for the next weekend," said UBC Thunderbirds head coach Doug Reimer. "Even though we already know who we're facing, this week's matches definitely still matter because we have to continue getting better, and more than that, we're playing a top team in the country and one we may see later on. They are a team that brings a lot of offense and great blocking, so I know that this game is going to demand a lot from us, competitively. "