VANCOUVER – With the preseason officially in the rearview, the UBC Thunderbirds are gearing up for their first pair of games to kickstart the new Canada West campaign. The 'Birds will first take on the Trinity Western University Spartans at War Memorial Gymnasium on Thursday, October 29, before facing off against the Fraser Valley University Cascades in Abbotsford on Saturday, October 31.
The blue and gold have just wrapped a round of exhibition games to prepare for the new season, and with plenty of new faces on this year's roster, their 5-2 record against quality competition hasn't left head coach
Dave Taylor fully satisfied.
"As much as I like our record, there was one game I think got away from us," began coach Taylor. "We've got a lot of players playing new roles, players coming back with restrictions on injuries. We've been hit by the injury bug. We're probably going to be dressing 10 this weekend, so I don't think we fully got ourselves in our groove yet, as much as I'd like, going into the league. We're getting close, but that'll be an ongoing process."
One player whose minutes restrictions were lifted heading into opening weekend is
Mona Berlitz, who's coming back after missing all of last season due to injury. The fourth-year forward, having started five of her six preseason appearances, has been ramping up and improving game after game since returning to the lineup. Prior to last year's absence, Berlitz was the team's leading scorer, pouring in an average of 16.3 points per game, and tied for the team's lead in rebounds at 6.9 per game.
"We're excited; all the minute restrictions are off, so we can use her as needed. Obviously, she helps and just adds so much on the scoring end for us. So, that's huge getting her back fully healthy."
Another standout from the T-Birds' returning players is guard
Stella LaGrange. Entering her fifth year, the Kelowna product has already played a large role in the team's exhibition stint. Serving as the squad's perimeter defensive anchor, LaGrange racked up 49 steals last year, good enough for 1.6 per game. In this recent small sample size, the veteran T-Bird has improved on that, swiping 2.3 steals per game.
On the other end of the floor, LaGrange was the team's highest scorer throughout the preseason, posting 11.3 per game and hitting a high of 21 points against Brandon University, proving she is more than up for the challenge of being the team's go-to two-way player, an impact coach Taylor believes will remain crucial to the team's success as the year progresses.
"All around, she's just so critical to us on the defensive end. She often will pick up their leading scorer and will again this weekend. She's a perimeter player, so she's got to expend a lot of energy there. But we also rely on her to get some scoring too. It's tough to do something that well on both ends of the court, which she's been doing. Whenever we win this season, she'll be a big reason why."
Alongside those key returning pieces, UBC's roster will feature a crop of new T-Birds on the court.
Amy Stinson is about to enter her first full season with the club after redshirting throughout 2025-2026, following the former OUA All-Star's transfer from McMaster University. As well, coach Taylor is eager to see what a handful of first-years can do, including
Alfreda Okolie and
Sadie Danks, with the latter's health currently questionable heading into opening night.
However, one of those first-years expecting to debut was
Amanda Guss. The Calgary native was looking primed to take on the starting floor general role right out of the gates, until an injury against the University of Saskatchewan Huskies might have sidelined the budding guard long-term.
"Injuries are part of it and dictate a lot. But, you know, we're lucky. We've got a lot of experience, but obviously, losing anybody is tough. And losing a guard that we thought would be running the point for us all year is obviously a big blow. Unfortunately, you just have to deal with it. The teams that do well have to deal with adversity. We had that last year; we lost [Berlitz] at the start of the year, and it ended up being okay. But obviously, you don't want to deal with it."
As devastating news as that is for the up-and-coming T-Bird and her squad, as mentioned, Taylor's team has been in a similar spot before. Last season, after losing Berlitz early on, the team went on to claim silver medals in both the Canada West Final and a trip to the U SPORTS Final 8. Finishing on that high note has definitely shaped expectations around the league, as the 'Birds came in at third in all of Canada West on the preseason coaches' poll.
"I think that's kind of where we should be. To me, Sask and Alberta are the clear top two, and then, us, UBC-O and TWU are all really tight. So, obviously Thursday night is a massive game. Even though it's just one game, it sets up a lot. I think the three of us will be fighting it out for first place on the BC side."
The 'Birds will face an immediate test on the Point Grey campus as they take on the fifth-ranked Spartans to start the year, and after TWU's showing in the preseason, coach Taylor knows his squad has a tall task ahead of them.
"[The Spartans are] playing well right now. They play fast, and they're putting up a lot of points. They look in mid-season form. If you take a possession off, they're putting three points on you in a hurry, they can go on big runs, so it'll put a lot of stress on our defence. They're just very active, and they'll try to pressure us a lot, so they're a tough matchup. Quite frankly, they're probably playing as well as anybody in Canada West early on."
Expect sparks to fly as these two heavyweights hit the hardwood this Thursday, as the 'Birds take on the Spartans, October 29 at 5:30 p.m. at War Memorial Gymnasium. With a day off in between, the 'Birds will then make the one-hour trip to Abbotsford to close out the two-game weekend set against the UFV Cascades on Saturday, October 31 at 4:30 p.m. You can watch all the action on
CanadaWest.tv.
