VANCOUVER – Coming off of a pair of convincing 3-0 wins to sweep their quarter-final series against Thompson Rivers, the No.1-seed UBC Thunderbirds (22-2, 2-0) now host the No.5-seed Alberta Pandas (18-6, 2-0) in a best-of-three semi-final, with a spot in the Canada West Gold Medal game and a guaranteed trip to the U SPORTS Championships on the line. This weekend’s matches at War Memorial Gym are scheduled for 6:00 p.m. (PT) on Friday, 6:00 p.m. (PT) on Saturday and if necessary, Sunday’s game would be at 3:00 p.m. (PT).
The T-Birds never appeared threatened by the Wolfpack in their opening round series, winning all six sets without giving up more than 16 points in any of them. A deeper dive into the numbers displays dominance across the board for UBC, but perhaps most notable was the disparity between the teams’ success from the service line. Serving has given UBC a significant edge on their opponents all season and last weekend was no exception, as the ‘Birds tallied 16 aces while giving up just two in return.
“Without question serving helped us and got them out of system,” reflected UBC head coach Doug Reimer. “The weekend could not have gone more smoothly for us and that’s credit to our preparation and how dialed in the whole group was.”
“I was just so pleased at how cleanly we played both matches. Not giving up any significant runs, that was due to all phases of our game, all three touches. We were able to stay in system so much, and we give a lot of teams problems there.”
Among the standouts for UBC was second-year setter Issy Robertshaw. Entering her first post-season as the team’s full-time lead setter, Robertshaw not only piled up 53 assists over the weekend but also led the team with four aces on Saturday and finished one behind Kacey Jost for the team lead in digs.
“Issy’s improvement from year one defensively, and ability to make the adjustment to setting in transition, that’s a big jump from where players are at coming out of high school,” noted Reimer. “She does a great job leading as a young player as well in a key position.”
A hallmark of this season’s UBC team has been its depth and balance, as highlighted by four T-Birds being selected to the Canada West All-Star teams. (LINK) Lucy Borowski was named a first team all-star, while Jost, Akash Grewal, and Claire Cossarini were all selected to the second team.
“I’m a big believer that all-stars are primarily team awards,” commented Reimer. “Just the fact that we had four of our players recognized makes me happy, very well deserved, but I think its recognition from the coaches in the conference of the strength of our lineup. Some years it can be really difficult to vote, and if I had to vote on our team I would have a hard time doing it because we’ve had so many people step up in significant ways. I was just happy to see that some players got that individual recognition.”
The Pandas come to War Memorial Gym after dispatching the four-time defending Canada West champion Trinity Western Spartans in a decisive sweep, losing just one set over the two matches despite playing on the home floor of last year’s U SPORTS silver medalists, also the No.6-ranked team in the country. U SPORTS No.7-ranked Alberta was unlucky not to get any home playoff dates after they finished a close fifth in the five-team race atop of the Canada West standings; they were a full six wins ahead of sixth place MacEwan.
Alberta’s calling card may be their ability to avoid mistakes, as the Pandas committed the fewest errors in the conference. They also finished a close second in blocks per set in Canada West and just ahead of the T-Birds in kills per set, sitting third in the conference in that category as well.
“I have a lot of respect for Alberta and their improvement over the year,” concluded Reimer. “They have their starting setter Justine Kolody back, she missed about a month in January, including when we played them. They have a well-balanced offence, they’re doing a lot things really well, so this is going to be a very, very good test for us.”
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 McMaster University in Hamilton, 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. Because they finished first in the regular season, the T-Birds will host whichever of the Gold or Bronze Game they end up in, set to be played at 5:00 p.m. (PT) on March 9 at War Memorial Gym.
Stream all Canada West playoff action live or on demand on Canada West TV.