The Matchup
Fresh off a bye week in the Canada West, the No. 2 UBC Thunderbirds (14-2) return to War Memorial Gym to host the No. 4 Brandon Bobcats (12-4) on Friday and Saturday, January 26 and 27.
The 'Birds have clinched their spot in the conference playoffs and are currently sitting in third, two points back of second-place Alberta, while the Bobcats are four points behind the T-Birds in fourth place.
The 'Birds and Bobcats were all too familiar at the end of last year, meeting in the final two regular season tilts as well as the Canada West Quarter-Final. UBC was able to take down the Bobcats and advance to the conference semis in two five-set playoff matches at War Memorial Gym.
Last Action
Prior to their week off conference play, the Thunderbirds defeated the Wesman in Winnipeg in convincing fashion, 3-1 and 3-0.
Brandon is coming off a series sweep at UBCO without dropping a set to jump into fourth spot in the Canada West standings. Elliott Viles lead the way for the Bobcats with 21 kills, 5 aces and 5 blocks over the two weekend victories.
By the Numbers
11.82 – UBC has amassed the second most assists per set in the conference, good for fourth in the nation. Standout T-Bird setter
Byron Keturakis averages 10.38 assists per set good for second in all of U SPORTS.
9.48 – the Bobcats average the second highest digs per set in the Canada West with 9.48, led by libero/left side hitter Brady Nault. The Winnipeg native averages 2.22 digs per set, dead even with UBC libero
Tyson Smith for 4th in the conference.
Players to Watch
Irvan Brar (#4, Left Side) – A key piece of a formidable UBC attack, Brar has started in all 16 matches for UBC this season and averages a team-high 3.48 kills per set, fifth in the Canada West. The graduating senior has also racked up the third most digs for the T-Birds with 72 alongside 27 total blocks.
Fynn McCarthy (#11, Middle) – The George Elliot Secondary product has come into his own in his freshman year with the T-Birds, earning 76 kills with 24 total blocks and 16 service aces in 46 sets so far this season.
Coach's take
Despite having punched their ticket to the postseason, UBC Head Coach
Kerry MacDonald knows there's still much to be determined in a tight division.
"To stay in the top three we are going to need to keep learning and improving throughout our final eight matches," said the second year head coach. "Fortunately, we get to really test ourselves against some of the top teams in the nation before heading into playoffs."
"I really liked how our guys performed in Winnipeg," added MacDonald. "On one night I thought we were very strong offensively and found scoring from every attacker. On night two we weren't as offensively efficient but played a scrappier game and were able to rely on our serving to earn us points. It's important to find multiple ways to win matches at this level."
MacDonald is pleased with how his team has progressed to date while the squad utilized the time off Canada West action to develop further.
"Over the bye week we have continued to address all aspects of our game with some specific focus on certain aspects of our offence," said MacDonald. "We are really close to consistently achieving the performance benchmarks that we have set for ourselves and hopefully by playoffs we will be there."
