Matchup

 
The No. 2 UBC Thunderbirds will square off against a familiar foe for a spot in the Canada West Final when the No. 3 University of Alberta Golden Bears visit War Memorial Gym in semi-final action this weekend. Game one gets the ball rolling on Friday at 8:00 pm, game two is Saturday at 8:00 p.m. and (if the best-of-three series is tied) a deciding game three will be Sunday at 5:00 p.m. PT. Earlier this season, the T-Birds and Golden Bears split a two-game set in Alberta when a 3-2 Thunderbird road victory was supplanted by a 3-1 Golden Bears win at home.
 
UBC and Alberta will renew acquaintances for the second straight postseason - a year after the Canada West rivals crossed paths twice in their quest for the national title. In 2017, the 'Birds earned bronze at the Canada West Final Four with a 3-0 victory over Alberta, before the Bears got their revenge over UBC in a 3-2 victory at the U SPORTS semifinal in Edmonton.
 
But this Canada West season is different. Gone is the "Final Four" over a single weekend - in its place is an additional best-of-three series, followed by a single elimination championship a week later. UBC Head Coach Kerry MacDonald admits the extended schedule is a challenge. "I like the best of three matches as a stand-alone format but with the length of our season being as long as it is, I really think we need to address the schedule more globally."
 
That season will be on the line this weekend, and MacDonald says the experience of playing Alberta twice in crucial matches a year ago will help his team know the type of battle to expect. "We are two closely matched teams that have been very close in Canada West and U SPORTS rankings all season. Whatever team makes it out of the series will be well prepared to play a Canada West Final and make a strong push for the U SPORTS banner."

?? MVB | @ubcmvb just punched their ticket to the @CanadaWest semifinals with a straight sets win over the @umbisons in Game 2 of the quarter-finals. UBC will host next weekend. #GoBirdsGo #WintheWest pic.twitter.com/KCOwIIL24w

— UBC Thunderbirds (@ubctbirds) February 24, 2018

 

Last Action

 
UBC made their way through a quarter-final tilt with Manitoba by only dropping a single set on home floor a week ago, winning 3-1 and 3-0 in convincing fashion over the seventh-seeded Bisons. Alberta booked their ticket to the semis with a slightly more arduous two-game sweep of the sixth-place Calgary Dinos - winning 3-1 and 3-2 at home.

?? MVB | First set ends in a UBC victory of 25-20! #GoBirdsGo #WintheWest pic.twitter.com/j091dB7rSD

— UBC Thunderbirds (@ubctbirds) February 24, 2018

 

By the Numbers

 
1.88 –  UBC's serving will need to be on point to come out on top this weekend. Last time these two teams met this season, the Thunderbirds hit 17 aces in 9 sets (1.88 aces per set) - higher than their regular season average of 1.69 (which was second best in the Canada West).
 
362 – The T-Birds will come face-to-face with one of Canada's premiere attackers this weekend in Golden Bear outside hitter Taryq Sani. The 6'1 nineteen-year-old led the country with 362 kills in 89 sets played this season, while also earning the second most points in U SPORTS with 432.5.


 

Players to Watch

 
Byron Keturakis – (#1, Setter) – The 6'8 star setter earned the most aces in the Canada West playoffs last season (11), while averaging 9.88 assists per set in the postseason. This year, he's continuing to facilitating the UBC attack in his fourth season with the 'Birds - a season that saw him lead the league with 963 assists and 65 aces. He's off to a strong start with 10 aces already in just 7 sets against the Bisons.
 
Keith West – (#3, Left Side) – West put up 20 kills, 8 digs and 6 blocks against the Golden Bears in November and finished the quarter-final series against Manitoba with 16 kills and 3 aces for 20 points. The graduating senior finished his final regular season with 2.31 kills per set and the second most T-Bird aces with 38.


 

Coach's take

 
Coach MacDonald doesn't see much room for error in a well-rounded Golden Bears team that has certainly given his T-Bird team a run for their money this season, and says the 'Birds will need to fire on all cylinders to move on to the finals.
 
"There is not one thing that will separate ourselves from Alberta, I certainly believe that we can put a lot of stress on their offence with our serve but we will also require our serve receive & offence to be crisp in order to overcome their strong blocking. It's simply a good opponent that will challenge us to play good volleyball!"