PREVIEW: Huskies host Wesmen, looking to climb division standings

GAME INFORMATION

Date: Friday, Feb 11 & Saturday, Feb. 12
Time: 8:00 p.m. & 5:00 p.m.
Location: Saskatoon, Sask.
Venue: Physical Activity Complex
Watch: Canadawest.tv

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In front of the University of Saskatchewan Huskies men’s volleyball team is an opportunity.

The Huskies enter the weekend at .500. They’re 6-6 and are tied with the Manitoba Bisons for second place in the east division.

On deck for Saskatchewan is a matchup against the division leading Winnipeg Wesmen, who enter with a 7-5 record. With the Huskies only trailing the visitors by one win, this weekend presents a chance for the green-and-white to make a statement to the rest of the west and shake up the aforementioned east division.

With only six games remaining on the docket for the Huskies, the time is now to make a move.

These will be the third and fourth meetings of the season between the two programs. Winnipeg got the best of Saskatchewan in those first two meetings with 3-0 (25-17, 25-23, 25-22) and 3-1 (20-25, 25-19, 25-21, 25-16) victories. But these next four are all on home floor, something the green-and-white will look to use as an advantage this weekend.

However, the Wesmen have had the Huskies number as of late. They’ve struggled to get past their counterparts to the east in recent memory, holding a 1-7 record over the last eight meetings.

But for the Huskies, there is no better time than now to change that narrative and they’ll have the opportunity to do so on their home floor, with their home fans back in the stands for the first-time since Nov. 13.

Thoughts from Head Coach Sean McKay:

McKay on his team’s play as winners of five of their last six:

“We’ve definitely come a long way since our 1-5 start. It’s good to see the direction the guys are going in January, February, and March, when those games really start to matter. The guys continue to bring a ton of energy to practice and I think that’s what got us through that slump and what put us back to 500. We just got to make sure we keep doing those things to get above .500.”

McKay on the excitement of the team, as they play in front of fans at the PAC for the first-time since Nov. 13:

“I think they’re all super pumped, whether that’d be mom and dad coming to watch or their friends or family. We’ve only had one home weekend this whole season. So anytime we get to play in front of our Sask fans, who we think are probably one of the best fanbases in the conference, we’re pretty pumped.

McKay on trying to do limit the damage of Daniel Thiessen and the impending matchup between Mortensen and Thiessen:

“I think limited is probably the keyword to try to keep him kind of around .200 kill efficiency. Him and Morty will probably go toe-to-toe and maybe in some instances cancel each other out, so you kind of got to find other ways to make it work. Other guys are going to have to step up and have a little bit more of an offensive presence. Then there’s switches to be made tactically to hopefully limit Thiessen with the use of Mortensen.”

McKay on the importance of the weekend and the pursuit of the East Division crown:

“A sweep would put us in a pretty good position to host, but with all these teams battling, I honestly think it will come down to the very last weekend. It’s going to be game-by-game for these last six and our last six are against teams that are either tied with us or one above us. So for us to get too far-sighted is probably a little arrogant of us, so we’re trying to keep the focus just on each game and go for there — and if we’re hosting a playoff match come March, awesome.”

5 Things:

1. The matchup sees two of the conference’s most prolific players go head-to-head, as Saskatchewan’s Dylan Mortensen and Winnipeg’s Daniel Thiessen rank one-two in conference kills. Mortensen has 195 to his name, while Thiessen is at 194 — presenting a storyline for this weekend.
2. Mortensen enters this weekend fourth in the program’s all-time record books with 972 kills. With 28 kills over the two matches this weekend the fourth-year outside hitter would move into third, overtaking Paul Thomson who accumulated 1000 kills between 2011-15.
3. Mortensen hasn’t been the only Huskie putting up stats this season, as Skyler Varga ranks first among rookies in the Canada West in kills this season, with 136 to his name — ranking him tenth in the conference.
4. The Huskies are looking for their first weekend sweep over the Wesmen since Nov. 25 and 26, 2006.
5. The Wesmen come to town with as winners of three of their last four, with their last action coming back on Jan. 29 — a four-set win over the Brandon Bobcats.