VANCOUVER – The U SPORTS No.6-ranked UBC Thunderbirds (15-7) are taking on the Brandon Bobcats (15-7) in an impactful final series of the regular season, with massive playoff implications for both sides. The teams will square off at the conclusion of the schools’ women’s teams’ matches each night, scheduled for 7:45 p.m. (PT) on Friday and 6:45 p.m. (PT) on Saturday at War Memorial Gym.
Both UBC and Brandon have qualified for the Canada West playoffs. Beyond that, not much is certain. With just two matches remaining, each team could still finish atop the conference or end up as low as seventh; the difference between hosting as many as three playoff rounds or playing on the road all the way. The situation is the result of incredible parody in Canada West men’s volleyball this season, as the top seven teams each have between 14-16 wins.
“This league is so tight, teams are so even, you need to be at or near your best on any given night to get results,” commented UBC head coach Mike Hawkins. “But I also think that’s the most simple form of sports. If you’re better, you should win. If you play better, you deserve the victory. Sounds cliché and simple, but that’s the reality of this season.”
“We’ve been telling the guys since our games against Trinity Western three weeks ago that its playoff time. We knew it was going to be really tight at the end, honestly not this tight, but we knew that we had three opponents to finish the year who were going to be right around us in the standings. I think it’s going to be interesting to go into playoffs next week knowing we’ve been in that mindset for a while.”
Brandon comes to Point Grey already sporting its highest win total since the 2018-19 season, when the Bobcats won Canada West and took silver at the U SPORTS Championships. The ‘Birds and Bobcats have not faced one another since early last season, when UBC won two tight matches on the road in Manitoba.
“Brandon is a really good blocking team, they have two of the better middles in the conference,” said Hawkins. “They also have quality all around. Jens Watt on the left side, J.J. Love is a good, feisty setter. They’re just a tough team to play against, we’re preparing for a lot of quality across the board.”
It’s Seniors Nights at War Memorial Gym this weekend, with seven members of the UBC women’s team set to be honoured between matches over the two evenings. On the men’s side however, there is not a single graduating senior. In fact, no one on the roster is even is beyond their third year of eligibility, underscoring just how young this T-Birds team that’s battling for the regular season crown truly is.
“It’s the first time since I’ve been here that we have no graduating seniors,” reflected Hawkins, now in his sixth year as UBC head coach. “But that doesn’t mean we’re completely inexperienced. I think having guys like Logan Greves and Mason Greves, pivotal members of our team last year who have the experience of playing a road playoff game in a difficult environment in Saskatchewan, those are the guys who we’re going to have to lean on. But the way this season’s been every weekend is pressure filled, so all of our guys have been getting those high-pressure reps. Now it’s just going to be a little more do or die next week.”
One way or another, the T-Birds will begin a best of three playoff series next weekend, with the first two matches played Friday and Saturday before a potential third match on Sunday, if the first two results are split. While their future opponent is still completely up in the air, the blue and gold do control their own destiny insofar as being able to guarantee that their first playoff round will be at War Memorial if they defeat the Bobcats in both matches this weekend.
“I think it would be big to earn the right to host playoff games, especially for our younger, less experienced group,” concluded Hawkins. “I think anytime you can be at home, that’s massive. But for us, we just need to focus on Brandon. You can consider this a home playoff weekend already.”
Tickets to these all-important games can still be found here. As always, stream all of the action, live or on demand, on Canada West TV.