VANCOUVER - With a playoff berth now secured, the UBC Thunderbirds (11-11) host the Brandon Bobcats (4-18) to conclude their Canada West regular season schedule at War Memorial Gym. The 'Birds are currently seventh in the conference, but could finish as high as sixth as the final week of action plays out. The Bobcats are mathematically eliminated from postseason contention and have lost six consecutive matches.

Game one goes on Friday, February 14, with a rare 3:00 p.m. PT start time, with game two of the series slated for Saturday, February 15, at 6:00 p.m. PT on senior night.

UBC's Gabrielle Attieh has continued to produce on offence all season, and is fourth in the Canada West with an average 3.40 kills per set. Olivia Furlan leads the T-Birds with an average 0.73 service aces per set in just ten matches as the 'Birds are third in the conference with 2.63 service aces per set. 

Graduating seniors for the Thunderbirds include captain Anna Price, Tessa Davis, Laura Worsley and Siobhan Finan

Last Action

UBC split their series with the UBC Okanagan Heat last weekend in Kelowna, starting with a dominant 3-0 win on Friday evening. The 'Birds hit 11 aces and totaled seven team blocks as second-year outside hitter Cara Kovacs earned a career-high 11 kills to go with four digs. Price put up six kills and 10 digs with an ace in the win. UBCO bounced back the following evening with a 3-0 win of their own after a strong 13-ace serving performance and 13 kills from Amaya Perry.

Brandon fell in five sets to the Manitoba Bisons (4-18) last weekend before dropping a 3-0 decision the next night on home floor. Rayvn Wiebe racked up 23 kills with four aces over the weekend, while Danielle Larocque also contributed 23 kills and added nine blocks in the loss. 

Coach's Take 

"We're hoping that we can build some flow as we head into playoffs," said UBC head coach Doug Reimer. "We're still working on building our team chemistry given that we had players missing the first term and injuries, so we need to take advantage of the opportunity to improve.   It is the final weekend of play for Brandon so they will likely come out with a lot of energy and determination."

Reimer is also looking forward to celebrating the graduating seniors on his squad on the final home weekend of the season.

"We will be saying good-bye to four great seniors this weekend. All four have made outstanding contributions as students, where they excel in the classroom, as well as on the court and as teammates who bring so much to make the group better."