VANCOUVER - After a timely bye week, the No. 5-ranked UBC Thunderbirds (13-5) embark on their final road trip of the regular season to take on the UBC Okanagan Heat (2-16) on Friday, February 7, at 8:00 p.m. PT and Saturday, February 8, at 6:00 p.m. PT in Kelowna.
The 'Birds are four points up on the Brandon Bobcats (11-7) and Winnipeg Wesmen (11-7) for third in the Canada West standings, and have their sights set on hosting a quarter-finals series come playoff time as a top four team. UBC will also be looking to bounce back from a pair of tough losses on home court that snapped an impressive twelve-match win streak as they enter the final two weeks of the regular season.
The T-Birds still lead the conference with 2.24 service aces per set and have the second best hitting percentage (.322) as a team. UBCO's Denham O'Reilly currently averages the most digs per set in the Canada West (2.27) as his squad is coming off their first two wins of the season and will be hungry for a strong showing in their final two matches on home court.
Last Action
UBC's last outing was against the U SPORTS No.1-ranked Trinity Western Spartans (19-1), who earned a series sweep at War Memorial Gym to extend their win streak to 18 consecutive matches. The 'Birds fought hard in a five set loss to open the highly anticipated series in a match that saw the two talented teams trade blows from start to finish. UBC recorded 12 blocks on the night, five more than the Spartans, but were unable to close out the visitors and fell 15-10 in the deciding set. Night two saw the 'Birds have a rare off-night at the service line and fall unceremoniously in straight sets during Pride Night to head into their bye week.
The Heat finally got in the win column last weekend after a pair of victories (3-2 and 3-0) over the MacEwan Griffins (2-18) on home floor to snap a sixteen-match losing skid.
Coach's Take
"We spent a lot of time last week self-reflecting and using the bye as an opportunity to get better in preparation for what we hope is a long playoff run," said UBC head coach Mike Hawkins. "For us, this weekend is our first opportunity to put that work done in the gym to the test."
His team's next test will be against a UBCO side who finally earned some success and has nothing to lose as their season nears an end.
"I've been in similar positions before in my career where there is a sense of relief and excitement after breaking a losing streak and putting in a strong performance. I expect the Heat to be playing free and with confidence, which is always a dangerous type of team to play against. We're prepared for a good fight."
