Vancouver - The UBC Thunderbirds return from a bye week for their final regular season home contests as they clash with the Winnipeg Wesmen in a crucial two game series at War Memorial Gym. The Thunderbirds currently occupy the eighth and final playoff berth, but are dead even with the Wesmen – who have an identical 7-11 record in the Canada West standings. The two teams set to square off this weekend at UBC are also tied with Manitoba (7-13), but have two games in hand on the Bisons with just two weeks remaining in the race to the postseason.
 
Game one has a unique afternoon start time of 1:00 p.m. on Friday, February 8, for a special UBC Staff Game, where all UBC Staff and Faculty are invited to enjoy the T-Birds in action, while game two goes at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, February 9. Saturday night is also Seniors' Night, as the 'Birds will celebrate graduating seniors Joel Regehr and Zeid Hamadeh for their contributions to the T-Bird volleyball program - including a reception following the match.


 

Last Action

 
Before their bye week away from Canada West action, the Thunderbirds were on the road against the U Sports No. 2-ranked Trinity Western Spartans in Langley. UBC earned their biggest victory of the season on night one – upsetting the powerhouse Spartans with a 3-1 road win to remain undefeated in 2019 conference play. Third-year outside hitter Danny Aspenlieder led the 'Birds with 11 kills and added a season-high two assists, while Coltyn Liu had nine kills to go with a team-high four aces. Second-year setter Zec Johnson put up 36 assists, four blocks and a team-high 10 digs en route to victory. The 2018 National Championship rematch continued on night two, when the Spartans got the best of the 'Birds in a 3-0 straight sets victory to snap the UBC streak.
 
Winnipeg halted a four-match losing slide with a sweep over the Manitoba Bisons – winning 3-2 & 3-0 in the home-and-home series to tie the Bisons with 14 points in the standings. Daniel Thiessen had a team-high 28 kills and four aces over the eight sets with six total blocks.


 

Players to Watch

 
Coltyn Liu – (#4, Outside Hitter) – The second-year attacker has appeared in all 18 matches for UBC and has amassed the most kills on the roster with 146. Liu also has the second most digs on the roster (74) behind libero Tyson Smith.
 
Joel Regehr – (#9, Middle) – In his fifth and final season with the Thunderbirds, Regehr has played in the third most sets on the team and is tied for the most service aces with 18 to date. The middle blocker also has the third highest hitting percentage (.309) and the second most total blocks (35).


 
 

Coach's take

 
"Our split against Trinity was big for not only our confidence as a young team, but also in giving us another win in our push for a playoff spot," said UBC head coach Mike Hawkins. "I thought it further cemented the team's trust in our process and systems, giving proof that it doesn't matter what's on the other side of the net as long as we focus on what we can control. Moving forward, it's important for us to learn how to back that Friday night win up with a solid Saturday performance, something we'll need to do down the stretch as we close out the season."
 
Hawkins stresses the importance of taking one game at a time for his youthful roster.
 
"It's easy to get caught scoreboard watching and getting wrapped up in the standings, but the message for us is and will always be to remain present and focused in the moment, whether it's in training, in the weight room, or at 14-13 in a five set battle. We are treating this two week stretch as if we were competing in a playoff series, with each game carrying significant weight with how our season finishes. If you only focus on the final objective, however, you lose sight on what's important in the moment."