Matchup

The UBC Thunderbirds (2-4) are coming off their second split series of the season and will be back on home court to host the Manitoba Bisons (2-2) on Friday at 6 p.m. and Saturday at 4 p.m. at War Memorial Gym. UBC have played four straight matches on the road, and will be gunning for their first home win against a rested Bisons squad. The last time these two teams met, the 'Birds won 3-0, 3-2 on the Point Grey campus.
 

Last Action

UBC kicked off their road trip with a commanding 3-0 win over the Brandon Bobcats, but fell in four sets on the second night of their back-to-back series. Kiera Van Ryk had a massive weekend for the T-Birds with 26 kills, nine service aces, 19 digs and four blocks over seven sets of action. Victoria Behie also stood out with 15 kills and five aces and three blocks.
 
Manitoba was inactive last weekend on a bye, but earned a 3-1 and 3-0 sweep of the MacEwan Griffins two weeks ago at home. Lauren Holmes led the Bisons with 23 kills over six sets, while Carly Weber put up 16 kills with six service aces in seven sets.
 

 

By the Numbers

278 – UBC has amassed the most assists in the Canada West and average the most assists per set (12.64). Olivia Furlan's 203 assists are the third best in the league, as is her average of 9.23 assists per set.
 
19.19 – Manitoba leads the Canada West with 19.19 digs per set, and their starting libero Cassie Bujan's 5.19 digs per set also tops the conference.
 

Players to Watch

Olivia Furlan – (#2, Setter/Outside hitter) – The Calgary product is flourishing in her third year with the 'Birds, and as this season's starting setter. Furlan has shown her versatility on offence, while also impressing defensively with the second most digs (55) and blocks (10) on the roster.
 
Brynn Pasin – (#19, Outside hitter) – Pasin has put up 38 kills in her first 20 sets as a Thunderbird in her rookie season and continues to develop early on in her UBC career.
 

 

Coach's Take

UBC head coach Doug Reimer knows his team is capable of stringing together wins, but it will all come down to execution.
 
"I think we felt as a group that we took a step back on Saturday night, and so that was disappointing. Friday we played well enough for long enough, but we didn't carry that forward.   It is clear that we have to be ready to raise our level of play when the opponent is playing better as Brandon did on Saturday. The frustrating part is that you review the match and know that there are several key times when we need to be a bit better and that would be enough to get us through.  So it is partly just the need to improve but also finding a way to battle through the challenges that will be there every weekend in our league."
 
Coach Reimer is prepared for a solid defensive showing from the Bisons, and knows it'll be a good test for UBC's robust attack.
 
"We expect Manitoba to play a strong back court defense and it will challenge us to improve offensively. In that aspect and others, we will need to continue to focus on being more consistent and at times more patient."