T-Birds face Spartans in Final Four showdown

The UBC Thunderbirds travel back to Alberta this weekend for the Canada West Final Four, rounded out by the host Alberta Pandas, Mount Royal Cougars, and Trinity Western Spartans. Competitive spirits will be sky-high at the Saville Centre over the two day competition, as the chance to win a Canada West Championship begins with the semi-finals on Friday, March 18^th; UBC’s incredible playoff run has landed them a matchup with the Spartans at 2:00 p.m. (PT). The field will return on Saturday, March 19^th for the Bronze medal game beginning at 12:00 p.m. (PT), followed by the Gold medal game at 2:00 p.m. (PT).

“It’s been very gratifying to see the consistency of our performance in the playoffs,” said UBC Head Coach Doug Reimer. “We struggled building it during the regular season. We have a lot of players stepping up and we’re getting a little more consistency in our lineup with getting players back like Jayde Roberson, who didn’t play a lot in the regular season.”

The ‘Birds arrive at the Final Four in style after a successful second round of CW Playoffs last weekend. Four different T-Birds added at least seven kills in their 3-0 victory against the Calgary Dinos. In the final game of the weekend with the top spot in Pool E on the line, UBC earned a comeback 3-2 victory over the MRU Cougars in front of a hostile home crowd; the one-two punch of Elise Petit (22 kills) and Brynn Pasin (15 kills) proved to be too much for the Cougars Sunday night.

The T-Birds now face a familiar foe in the TWU Spartans, taking the court against the Langley squad for the fifth time this season. A late-November weekend at the Langley Events Centre watched UBC split the trip as TWU’s Savannah Purdy’s charged the 3-1 Friday night victory with 16 kills, while Cara Kovacs added a game-high 19 kills in the defeat. The ‘Birds returned to the court the following afternoon to earn an emphatic 3-2 victory thanks to strong play by Claire Cossarini, who posted 12 kills and three service aces.

These teams would meet again towards the end of January at War Memorial Gym, where the Spartans handled the T-Birds with a pair of 3-1 victories, as Meaghan Mealey powered TWU’s success with 15 kills the first night and 16 the next afternoon. Kovacs enjoyed another successful weekend against the Spartans as she added 16 kills in back-to-back games.

“You have to bring your A game in every facet when you play them,” explained Reimer. “They have a lot of talent, experience, and can execute at a really high level. Our players know and respect that, it’s the beauty of our sport.”

Regular season records mean close to nothing this far into the post-season as the T-Birds fly into the Final Four playing some of their best volleyball. The six-game winning streak has added a new level of confidence, as their team connection and execution has been on full display when it matters most.

“Obviously, we’re rolling more players and it’s helped us,” explained Reimer. “We’re sharing the load and players are stepping up, it feels like we could have had multiple player of the games in each playoff game. Truly, it’s been a lot of players stepping up to contribute to team success.”

Closing the regular season with a 9-7 record, UBC returned to competition in a year full of unknowns. Each of the four teams left in the playoffs have had a unique path. The T-Birds have embraced adversity and adjusted on the fly throughout the season. Their depth has proven that every member of the team has a role in the team’s success; 14 players have played critical minutes during their five-game playoff streak, making the ‘Birds are a very difficult team to game plan for.

“I’m very impressed with how our players have handled the challenges of the travel and the uncertainty that comes with it,” added Reimer when speaking to the progression of his team. “I think resiliency is the right word for our group on and off the court. We haven’t had as many matches, so we’re building the on-court belief that we can push through tougher situations. Earlier in the season we sometimes broke in those situations, but now we’re more experienced and trust what we can do.”

The Spartans may have taken the regular season series, but UBC is playing some of best volleyball in Canada right now. Glowing with confidence, their preparation, skills, and versatility have empowered any player to step up and make winning plays.

Catch UBC’s Friday semi-final matchup with TWU here on Canada West TV presented by Co-op.

Followed by Saturday’s Canada West’s medal games here.

CW Final Four schedule

Friday, March 18^th

12:00 p.m. (PT) — Alberta Pandas (Pool D winner)  vs. MRU Cougars (Pool E runner-up)

2:00 p.m. (PT) — UBC Thunderbirds (Pool E winner)  vs. TWU Spartans (Pool D runner-up)

Saturday, March 19^th

12:00 p.m. (PT) — Bronze Medal Match

2:00 p.m. (PT) — Gold Medal Match