‘Birds Look to Maintain Early Season Momentum During Home Double-Header With the Pandas

VANCOUVER – The UBC Thunderbirds, fresh off a bye week, return to action inside the lively confines of War Memorial Gym this weekend. The blue and gold (6-0) put their undefeated streak on the line when they battle the University of Alberta Pandas (5-1) starting Friday at 6:00 pm.
 
Doug Reimer‘s club enters the weekend with a 12-1 overall set record and are one of just two Canada West programs yet to suffer a loss.

 
“You’re always going to see some ups and downs early in the season, but our team has set a pretty high bar early on for what they want to achieve,” said Doug Reimer. “We’ve played some really good volleyball to start the season, but we know that we’ll need to play with greater consistency in the coming weeks.”
 
When assessing his team’s play through the first six games, Reimer was quick to highlight his team’s depth as its greatest strength early on. Elise Petit (83.5 points) and Lucy Borowski (47 points) have supplied a large chunk of the offense while Erika Vermette, Issy Robertshaw and Akash Grewal have all been forced to play big minutes, and have made solid contributions despite some early season injuries to some of the more experienced players.
 
The Alberta Pandas the toughest (standings) challenge to date for the blue and gold. Led by Lauryn Tremblay’s 86 kills and 102 points, the Pandas enter the week ranked #2 in the U SPORTS Top 10 rankings, four spots ahead of #6 ranked UBC.
 
Reimer added, “Alberta will always be well prepared. They’ve got a younger lineup, but they’ve gotten better with each passing week. The onus is on us to be prepared and we’re going to have to play consistent, steady volleyball. It’s going to be a really good weekend of play.”

 
There is plenty of extra excitement in the air as Friday night is Pride Night. With each passing season the legend continues to grow, making it the ‘can’t miss’ game on the Thunderbirds volleyball calendar. It’s a tradition and a cause that Doug Reimer and his team takes very seriously, especially knowing that his team has the freedom to celebrate and recognize this cause, while other teams and sports elsewhere in the world are discouraged from doing so.
 
The head coach ended with, “It’s our responsibility to set a high standard locally, and not just for one night. Anything we can do within our little area of control to enjoy coming together, and enjoy sport while creatimg a welcoming, inclusive atmosphere is important to us. It’s an energetic, lively crowd, and an evening of joy. Shouldn’t that be what sport is all about?”
 
For Pride Night, UBC is partnering again with the Vancouver Gay Volleyball Association and Lululemon. All fans are encouraged to dress up for the occasion and to bring the noise in support of the teams and to show support for LGBTQIA2S+ pride. Tickets for both nights can be purchased HERE. You can also catch the action live on Canada West TV.