VANCOUVER – The Canada West playoffs have arrived and for Doug Reimer and the UBC Thunderbirds, an intriguing weekend looms as the #3 seeded 'Birds welcome the #6 ranked Manitoba Bisons (14-10) for a best-of-three quarterfinal playoff matchup beginning Friday at War Memorial Gym.
 
The 'Birds (18-6) finished the Canada West regular season with the third best record, and are coming off a pair of victories last weekend in Kamloops. That sweep of the TRU Wolfpack ensured that the blue and gold kick off the playoffs at home against the Bisons – A team that UBC hasn't faced in any realm of competition since January 18, 2020. It's an unusual scheduling quirk that forces UBC to host a playoff series against the only Canada West team that they didn't face in regular season competition.


 
"The vast majority of players on both teams have never played against each other," said head coach Doug Reimer, earlier this week after practice. "Our focus is on the combination of needing to feel prepared for a specific opponent while also making sure that we are showcasing ourselves consistently in all aspects of the game."
 
With their sights set on their first Canada West crown since 2014, the UBC Thunderbirds enter the postseason ranked at-or-near the top of most offensive categories in Canada West. The blue and gold led Canada West with an average of 17.65 points-per-set, and also finished first in total service aces (190) and assists-per-set (12.45). At the other end of the floor, UBC held their opponents to the lowest hitting percentage (.130%).
 
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"We played a lot of volleyball. We've been stretched and pushed a fair bit by quality competition. One of the main takeaways is that we've had different players step up at different periods of time. I see no reason why that won't continue now that the playoffs are here," stated Reimer who last led UBC to a national championship victory in 2019.
 
The UBC roster is no short on experience. Elise Petit, Kayla Oxland, Jayde Robertsen, Cara Kovacs, Courtney Hillier, Kacey Jost, Danielle Price and Brynn Pasin all bring four-or-more years of experience to the table. But the head coach knows full well that it will take more than experience alone to prevail this weekend. "You don't win because you are more experienced. You win by what you do on the court," claimed Reimer.
 
The Manitoba Bisons are a team on the rise. Led by head coach Ken Bentley, the Bisons improved their win total by eight in 2022-23 and recorded their highest win total since the 2014-15 campaign. 11 of their 14 victories this season came at home. Doug Reimer added, "They are solid offensively across the board. They've always been a hard-working team and we will have to play consistently and apply a lot of pressure on them in order to have success."


 
The ultimate X-Factor for UBC this weekend, according to the head coach: "Probably for us our serving could be an x-factor. We need to establish a presence on our home court with consistent, improved serving."
 
Depending on how things shake up at War Memorial Gym and elsewhere this weekend, it 'could' mark UBC's final home appearance prior to the U SPORTS nationals. Game 1 is scheduled for Friday evening at 6:07 pm, followed by a Game 2 rematch Saturdya at 6:07 pm. If necessary, a third and deciding game will take place at 3:07 pm on Sunday afternoon.
 
Tickets for all three games are available here, and if you can't make it to the gym, you can following along live via Canada West TV.