The Matchup

 
The battle of Canada's best in U SPORTS men's volleyball comes to a head this weekend as the UBC Thunderbirds (18-2) and Trinity Western Spartans (19-1) square off in a home-and-home series with significant playoff implications. With a seven-game win streak in tow, the No. 2 T-Birds are just two points back of the No. 1 Spartans with four games left in the regular season.

The 'Birds will head to Langley to face the Spartans on Friday at 8:00 p.m. PT before the series concludes at UBC on Saturday night with a 6:30 p.m. PT start for Pride Night at War Memorial Gym, encouraging inclusivity while celebrating a safe campus environment for everyone.
 
"It's great to have a chance to play high level teams at this stage in the season as we prepare to head into playoffs," said UBC Head Coach Kerry MacDonald. "The matches this weekend and next will need to prime us for what it will take to be successful in playoffs."
 
The 'Birds and Spartans last met in November of 2017, when Trinity Western swept the Thunderbirds 3-1 in Langley and in five sets (3-2) in Vancouver.


 

Last Action

 
UBC toppled the Regina Cougars 3-0 and 3-1 in Saskatchewan last weekend, extending their consecutive victories to seven straight. Irvan Brar collected 24 kills and 11 digs with 4 blocks, Keith West had 23 kills with five aces and 10 digs, while Byron Keturakis contributed 13 digs, seven kills and seven blocks in the two road wins. 
 
Trinity Western took care of Calgary in Alberta a week ago, picking up their 14th and 15th straight wins in convincing fashion – 3-1 and 3-1. U SPORTS leading hitter Eric Loeppky led the way for the Spartans with 41 kills and five aces last weekend, and Jesse Elser added 30 kills and two aces.
 

By the Numbers

 
11.97 –  The 'Birds average the second most assists per set in the country with nearly 12 a set. Keturakis brings in 10.57 assists per set himself, good for second in U SPORTS and just behind Spartans' setter Adam Schriemer (10.81).
 
0.315 – Trinity Western's offense leads the league with a 0.315 hitting percentage, while also taking the top spot in kills per set and points per set. UBC is second in all three categories, but edges out the Spartans with the most service aces per set (2.35). 


 

Players to Watch

 
Tyson Smith – (#16, Libero) – The second-year Earl Marriott product averages a team-high 113 digs and is seventh in the Canada West with 2.13 digs per set, while also contributing the second-most assists on the T-Bird roster (24).
 
Keith West – (#3, Left side) – Coming off another strong performance in Regina, the fifth-year hitter has the second most kills for the Thunderbirds (138) and the second most service aces per set (0.46) in 57 sets played to date.


 

Coach's take

 
Coach MacDonald is looking forward to the tough test ahead, and points to a major strength of the 'Birds' game as the key factor for success.
 
"To beat any of the top teams in our conference we will need to continue to be strong from the service line and on serve receive.  TWU have a solid offence so we will be looking for our serve to disrupt the flow of their offence."