Need to Know

The UBC Thunderbirds men's volleyball team (12-10, 7th in Canada West, 10th in CIS rankings) will be fighting for their playoff lives this weekend, as they take on the Trinity Western Spartans (13-9, 5th in Canada West, 6th in CIS rankings) in their final two games of the regular season in Langley, B.C.
 
The first matchup of the back-to-back will start at 8:00 p.m. (PT) on Friday, February 19, while the rematch between the two rivals is set for 7:00 p.m. (PT) on Saturday, February 20. Both games will be held at Trinity Western's Langley Events Centre.
 

Last Week

The 'Birds dropped two 3-1 decisions to the Saskatchewan Huskies last weekend, which puts their recent skid at a four games.
 

By The Numbers

6 – Hanging on to the seventh and final playoff spot by a single win more than Mount Royal Cougars (11-11), the Thunderbirds are in danger of missing the playoffs for the first time in six years, since the 2009-10 season that saw them go 4-14.
 
0.425 – T-Birds senior middle Alex Russell is a machine at the net, a claim backed up by the fact that his 0.425 his far and away the highest hitting percentage in Canada West (second: Alberta's Ryley Barnes at 0.373). The 6-foot-10 Russell is also a terrific defender at the net, as his 1.16 blocks-per-game leads Canada West.
 

The Matchup 

Over the past five years, the series between the Spartans and the 'Birds have been slanted heavily towards the rivals from Langley, as Trinity Western has gone 9-1 over that stretch, winning 29 of 37 in those five years.
 
The Spartans will be coming in on fire for this match, as well. Trinity Western has won four of their past five games, and are currently riding a four-game win streak that has seen them take four straight 3-0 decisions.
 
Led by outside hitter Blake Scheerhoorn, the Spartans have struggled with inconsistency this season, but their best, like their recent streak has shown, make them dangerous the to even the best teams in Canada West. 
 

Coach's Take

"We want to play as aggressively as possible," said UBC Thunderbirds head coach Richard Schick. "Trinity is a big team, and they've been playing well, and for us to get through this weekend, we have to play aggressively – meaning going out there and swinging hard on every ball. Every opportunity that we get, we have to go after it. We've had some great practices this week, and we got much better over the course of last weekend against Sask. We have to throw everything out there, because this is it. With where we're going, who we're playing, and what's on the line, there isn't a better possible situation for us."