EDMONTON – After exorcising one demon by getting past the Saskatchewan Huskies in the playoffs for the first time in three years, the No.4-seed UBC Thunderbirds (16-8, 2-0) visit another familiar opponent in the No.1-seed Alberta Golden Bears (18-6, 2-1) for a best-of-three semifinal series with a spot in the Canada West Gold Medal Game and automatic berth in the U SPORTS Championships on the line. Matches are scheduled for 6:00 p.m. (PT) on Friday, 6:00 p.m. (PT) on Saturday and, if necessary, 3:00 p.m. (PT) on Sunday at Edmonton’s Saville Community Sports Centre.
The T-Birds earned home court advantage in the quarter-finals on the last point of the last set of the Canada West regular season, and used that edge to help pick up a pair of comeback wins over the Huskies. Trailing 2-0 on Friday, the ‘Birds battled back to win three straight series. They did the same on Saturday after going down 1-0, avenging playoff losses against Saskatchewan each of the last two seasons.
“I think there were a few things that we shifted tactically, a few personnel pieces that we tinkered with, but the comebacks are mainly just from the resilience that our guys have shown all season long,” commented UBC head coach Mike Hawkins. “Whether we fall behind because of difficult matchups, the team not playing its best, or most recently dealing with a slew of injuries, we just find ways to get to fifth sets. I think that this group has a lot of resilience and a lot of grit, especially in the most difficult moments.”
The team won its first round series without the services of Canada West Second Team All-Star Reeve Gingera and starting middle James Vincett, as both were both nursing injuries. In their stead, Gavin Moes set War Memorial Gym on fire in his first playoff action for the ‘Birds, hammering home 44 kills over the two matches, including a UBC playoff record 26 kills on Friday. Saturday’s game was a coming out party for first-year outside hitter Dawson Pratt. He has 11 kills, 12 digs and four blocks as part of an exceptional two-way performance.
“Really since halfway through the first semester Gavin has been one of the best players in the conference and arguably in the country,” praised Hawkins. “I think we’ve seen that recognized with his two U SPORTS Players of the Week. With a guy of his skill, size, and ability to attack, he causes a lot of problems for other teams. I think he’s been a real steadying force for us and when we’ve needed him to make big plays big moments, he’s done that.”
“Dawson has been unavailable throughout most of the semester with a stress injury. For him to come in in a really high-pressure situation and just do the things that we absolutely know he can was huge. We know he’s a fantastic blocker and an extremely skilled player. He was finishing off kills and just making good decisions, staying composed and taking what the defence was giving him.”
In addition to Gingera’s all-star selection, UBC third-year setter Mason Greves was also named a Canada West First Team All-Star after finishing third in the conference in both assists per set and digs per set.
“Anytime you can have multiple all-stars from one team I think says a lot about the quality of the team, but these two guys really shone throughout the entire season,” reflected Hawkins. “Mason is really the straw that stirs our drink, he’s elevated his game so much over last couple years, after stepping in as a first-year setter and quickly understanding the nuances of running a high-level offense. His blocking is much improved, his serving has always been fantastic, so he’s very much deserving of being named first team all-star setter, he’s the best in our conference.”
“For Reeve, this season was really his opportunity to step into the limelight. We’ve got a lot of expectations for Reeve with his potential and his physical gifts. He had some ups and downs this season, but I think he’s proven that he’s going to be an incredibly difficult player to stop for his last three years.”
The Alberta Golden Bears came out on top in a Canada West regular season that had incredibly little separation between the playoff teams from start to finish. Alberta had just two more wins than No.6-seed Brandon, and had their hands full with No.8-seed Manitoba in the quarter-finals. The Bears lost the first match of that series before barely edging the Bisons 3-2 in the second, and then taking the third 3-0.
If the Huskies have been the biggest bugaboo for the T-Birds in recent years, then the Bears are next. Alberta knocked UBC out of the Canada West playoff tournament two seasons ago, after eliminating the ‘Birds in Canada West semifinals two of the three years prior, and bouncing the blue and gold from the U SPORTS Championships the year before that. This season however, the T-Birds won both of their matches on the top seed’s home floor by a score of 3-1.
“The confidence of sweeping them in Edmonton is pretty significant, but that was a month and a half ago, the playoffs are always different,” noted Hawkins. “We know that this is a fresh slate, previous matches don’t really matter so for us, we’re focused on our tactics for this matchup. I thought we did a fantastic job playing our game against Saskatchewan, and though Alberta poses a different set of obstacles, our challenge remains the same.”
A series win for either team would see them advance to the Canada West Gold Medal Game and earn an automatic berth in the U SPORTS Championships hosted by Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario. Even a loss in the series would still see either team have a chance to reach the national championships, as that would put them in the Canada West Bronze Medal Game, and this year the conference’s bronze winner automatically goes to nationals as well. If the T-Birds’ medal game opponent ends up being No.3-seed Trinity Western the ‘Birds would play that game on the road, but if they match up with No.7-seed Winnipeg the T-Birds would host whichever of the Gold or Bronze Game they end up in. A home medal game would be played at 7:00 p.m. (PT) on March 9 at War Memorial Gym.
Stream all Canada West playoff action, live or on demand, on Canada West TV.
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