VANCOUVER - The two longest active winning streaks in U SPORTS will come to a head this weekend at War Memorial Gym, as the No. 2 UBC Thunderbirds (13-3) host the No. 1 Trinity Western Spartans (15-1) in a Canada West heavyweight bout.
The T-Birds have won twelve straight matches, while the Spartans are on a fourteen-match win streak and both teams have already clinched a Canada West playoff spot with three weeks to go in the regular season. Trinity Western is first in both the Canada West standings and the U SPORTS rankings, while the up-and-coming 'Birds are right behind TWU entering into this weekend's matchup. UBC is just two points up on the Alberta Golden Bears (12-4) for second in the Canada West, but four points back of the perennial powerhouse Spartans as they enter a crucial final stretch to decide playoff positioning.
Not only are UBC and TWU the top two teams in the standings, but they are neck-in-neck for serving aces per set (UBC: 2.40, TWU: 2.42), kills per set (UBC: 12.76, TWU: 12.73), hitting percentage (UBC: .332, TWU: .388) and points per set (UBC: 17.3, TWU: 17.6).
All the action at War Memorial Gym gets underway on Friday at 7:30 p.m. PT, with the special Pride Night event taking place during game two on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. PT. UBC's Pride Night is an opportunity to celebrate an inclusive environment and LGBTQ+ pride in partnership with the Vancouver Gay Volleyball Association. Festivities include a lip sync battle, a drag volleyball game, a 50/50 draw and more!
Last Action
The T-Birds have only lost a single set in their last ten matches, and extended their winning streak to twelve with a 3-0, 3-0 sweep of the Manitoba Bisons (7-9) in Winnipeg. Rising second-year star Matt Neaves had a team-high 27 kills over six sets on the road, Michael Dowhaniuk totaled 23 kills with three aces and 11 digs, and Jordan Deshane put up seven blocks with eight kills and three aces.
TWU swept the winless UBCO Heat (0-14) 3-0 and 3-0 at the Langley Events Centre, led by Eric Loeppky who had 25 kills and continues to lead the Canada West with a staggering .433 hitting percentage. Pearson Eshenko collected seven total blocks for the Spartans and currently tops the conference with an average 1.47 blocks per set.
Coach's Take
"As much as there's excitement around this matchup being between the top two teams in the conference and U SPORTS rankings, our focus still needs to remain on getting better every day and doing everything we can to ensure we'll be at the top of the rankings at the end of the year," said second-year UBC head coach Mike Hawkins. "Regardless of rankings, we always know it's going to be a tough battle against a strong Spartans team, but I'm confident in our group to play them tough like we have ever since I arrived at UBC. They have quality players across their lineup, so we know it's going to require a strong team effort to come away with the results this weekend."
Hawkins is excited for the all-important series to culminate on Pride Night, Saturday at 6:30 p.m. PT.
"Pride Night is a really enjoyable opportunity for the men's and women's volleyball programs to demonstrate the inclusive environment of not only our athletics department, but the university as a whole. Our athletes love being a part of Pride and love the sense of positivity and community that is felt in War Memorial throughout the entire night. On top of that, we know there is going to be an added buzz of excitement for our fans who know it is going to be a heated battle against a strong TWU squad."
