PREVIEW: Huskies begin four-game homestand against provincial rival Cougars

GAME INFORMATION

Date: Friday, Feb 11 & Saturday, Feb. 12
Time: 6:00 p.m. & 3:00 p.m.
Location: Saskatoon, Sask.
Venue: Physical Activity Complex
Watch: Canadawest.tv

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Back at the PAC, with a chance to lock up the east division crown — the Saskatchewan Huskies women’s volleyball team has an opportunity on their hands.

This has been one of the best Huskies volleyball teams in program history.

Everything has came together for Mark Dodds and company. Whether it be Emily Koshinsky — who will finish her career as the Huskies all-time leader in career kills — Mandi Fraser or Jessica Andjelic, who both lead the conference in statistical categories, the Dogs got it going on.

Saskatchewan holds a 10-2 record — good for third in the Canada West. Their 10-2 record ranks first in the east division.

With at least one win this weekend, Saskatchewan would clinch said division. That would ensure the Huskies would play host to Pool C in the first-round of the postseason, a pool that would welcome the second-seed in the central division, which looks likely to be the Mount Royal Cougars, the three-seed in the west division and the four-seed in the east division. Two teams would advance to a two-pool, final six.

But first things first — the task at hand. The Cougars enter the weekend desperate for wins of their own. They’re on the playoff bubble with a 4-6 record with six games remaining.

Regina enters the weekend coming off a lengthy bye. They haven’t played since Jan. 22 — a five-set win over Saskatchewan, a defeat that snapped the Huskies eight-game winning streak.

The Cougars will be hoping they can carry that momentum over into the weekend, as they look to upend their provincial rivals. But it has been a matchup dominated by the Dogs. The Huskies have won 12 of their last 14 games against the Cougars, with only three losses at the PAC to the green-and-gold since the beginning of the 2010s — a storyline they’ll be aiming to continue this weekend.

5 Things: 

1. After ending an 18-year postseason hiatus in 2019-20, Saskatchewan is heading back to the playoffs once again in 2021-22.
2. The Huskies 10-2 record third-best in the Canada West, trailing only the Alberta Pandas and Trinity Western Spartans who are 11-1 and 9-1 respectively. Should Saskatchewan finish with a better regular-season record than Alberta or Trinity Western, it could give the green-and-white a better shot at hosting even more playoff volleyball at the PAC.
3. The Huskies are fresh off a conference bye and have just four games remaining in the regular season, which will all take place at the PAC
4. Saskatchewan’s Andjelic leads the conference in digs in her first-year as a starter, while Fraser leads the Canada West in hitting-percentage with a .466 mark.
5. Koshinsky continues to lead the Huskies in her fifth-and-final year with the program, as her 163 kills ranks first in the conference. Koshinsky also ranks first in the conference with 28 kills, a statistical category she also holds the Huskies all-time program record in with 152 career kills — 30 more than alumna Jina Barker’s 122.