PREVIEW: Huskies play host to playoff volleyball at the PAC

GAME INFORMATION

Date: Thursday, Mar. 3, Friday, Mar. 4 & Saturday, Mar. 5
Time: 6:00 p.m., 6:00 p.m. & 3:00 p,m.
Location: Saskatoon, Sask.
Venue: Physical Activity Complex
Watch: Canadawest.tv

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The Huskies are welcoming some of the best in the west this weekend at the PAC.

After what was a dominant 14-2 regular-season, the Huskies finished atop of the Canada West’s east division—granting them the right to host the opening round of the conference postseason.

The Huskies—along with the Alberta Pandas and Trinity Western Spartans—will play host to one of three playoff pools in the opening round of the postseason this weekend.

The Huskies are set to welcome the Manitoba Bisons, Mount Royal Cougars and UBCO Heat to town, with the top two finishing teams from the four-team round-robin tournament advancing to next week’s subsequent round of the Canada West playoffs.

The field will whittle down from 12 to six, and Saskatchewan hopes a combination of home crowd plus their terrific form will get that job done.

The Huskies enter the weekend as winners of six-straight, helping them earn national recognition as the number-six ranked program in the nation—their highest seeding of the 2021-22 season.

The lethal combination of Emily Koshinsky and Mandi Fraser has led them all season long. Koshinsky, who is the all-time Huskies program leader in kills, could be playing her last games in the green-and-white this weekend as the fifth-years legendary career winds down. Meanwhile, alongside her for the ride is Fraser—the conference’s leader in hitting-percentage.

However, those were all regular-season stats. Now it’s the postseason. The Huskies have an opportunity to put the conference on notice this weekend. Saskatchewan is experienced, talented and focused. This program is ready to make a run for their eighth Canada West crown in program history .

That quest continues this weekend on home court at the PAC.

Thoughts from head coach Mark Dodds:

Dodds on the excitement within the program to begin postseason on home court:

“Huge excitement right now. It’s obviously a big moment to be able to host playoffs in a little bit of a unique format this year and that brings a lot of excitement within our group of four, but just across Canada West. There’s lots of teams in the playoffs and there’s lots of volleyball action next weekend. We’re looking forward to hosting and being in our own gym and hope, hope to play our best volleyball.”

Scouting the opposition:

• The Huskies will play each the Bisons, Cougars and Heat once over the course of the weekend
• The Huskies open the playoffs against Manitoba on Thursday night—a program they swept during the regular-season. The Bisons 6-10 record was good for fourth in the east division, but they enter the postseason on the backs of a three-game winning streak
• Next up for Saskatchewan is UBCO, who has been a tough out throughout the regular-season in what is a perennially tough west coast in Canada West women’s volleyball. Sydney Grills is the leader of the Heat, ranking eighth in the conference in kills with 191 and enters the weekend with five-straight double-digit kill outings
• The Huskies will finish off the weekend against the 14-4 Mount Royal Cougars. The Cougars, who rank fifth in the nation, suffered all four of their losses this season to the Alberta Pandas. Mount Royal figures to present Saskatchewan the toughest test of the season thus far