The Matchup

Riding a six-match win streak and sitting atop the Canada West, the number one ranked UBC Thunderbirds (12-2) hit the road for the first time in 2018 visiting the Winnipeg Wesmen (1-13) Friday and Saturday, January 12 and 13 at the Duckworth Centre.

There may be a 22-point gap in the standings between the 'Birds and Wesmen, but UBC isn't taking anything for granted, especially with the top portion of the conference standings as tight as they are. Just four points separates the first place T-Birds from the fourth place UBC Okanagan Heat.



The last time the two teams met, UBC trounced the Wesmen with a pair of straight set victories at War Memorial Gym back in November of 2016. The 'Birds carry a five-match winning streak over Winnipeg into Friday's showdown.

First serve is 4:00 p.m. PT Friday with Saturday's rematch scheduled for 4:45 p.m. PT.
 

Last Action

The 'Birds kept their win streak alive with back-to-back victories over Manitoba last weekend in Vancouver. UBC earned a straight sets win Friday night but needed a fifth set Saturday to complete the sweep.

?? VBALLW | 'Birds improved to 12-2 while remaining a perfect 8-0 on home court. #GoBirdsGohttps://t.co/gmXHYfCgLj

— UBC Thunderbirds (@ubctbirds) January 7, 2018

Winnipeg suffered back-to-back straight set losses to the Trinity Western Spartans in Langley last weekend. The Wesmen have dropped 11 straight matches and are 10 points back of the final conference playoff berth.
 

By the Numbers

.232 – UBC's .232 hitting percentage leads the Canada West as does the 'Birds' 13.65 kills per set.

17.5 – The 'Birds boast the top U SPORTS offence with an average of 17.5 points per set.
 

Players to Watch

Olivia Furlan (#12, Setter/Right Side) – The second-year arts student put up a career high 21 digs in Saturday's five-set win over Manitoba along with 13 kills. The Calgary native is averaging 3.39 digs per set, good for eighth most in the Canada West.



Ciara Hanly (#9, Middle) – Hanly's 50 total blocks leads the Thunderbirds and is the eighth highest total in the conference. The fourth year from Calgary is averaging 2.5 points per set and had a season high 13.5 points in Saturday's win over Manitoba.
 

Coach's Take

The 'Birds did manage to come away with a win Saturday night, but had to battle for it into a fifth set, something UBC head coach Doug Reimer sees as a good reminder of how tough it is to win on any given night.

"It's been a bit of the nature of our team to have some trouble maintaining consistency from one night to the next," said the seven-time national champion. "We have to give our opponents credit, they're doing a good job making adjustments to us, but the big lesson going forward is we just have to be really diligent night in and night out with consistency and discipline. Whenever you forget that lesson, it'll come back to haunt you."



Despite their current six-match win streak, the T-Birds are looking to continue tinkering in the lead up to the post-season.

"For us, it's still early in the new year and I'm happy with the way we're training and I'm really hoping we can continue that forward into our matches," said Reimer who's looking to make some adjustments this weekend. "I think some work on how tactically we can institute some of the things we're working on offensively and defensively, whether that's with different personnel or using personnel differently."