T-Birds hope for just treats, no tricks in Halloween home opener

After a pair of very close five-set losses on the road in Winnipeg, the UBC Thunderbirds return to War Memorial Gym for their home opener against the Brandon Bobcats. First, the two sides clash in a rare Thursday night matchup on October 31st, before playing the rematch on Friday, November 1st.

Despite the 0-2 start to the year, the T-Birds enter the week ranked #6 in U SPORTS, coming off a bronze medal finish at last season’s nationals and pushing a very strong Wesmen team to the limit two weeks ago to open this season.

The team then had an early bye week, giving them some extra time in practice ahead of the two-match home opening series.

“The bye after a tough opening weekend definitely gave us an opportunity to work through some wrinkles and focus on some areas that broke down against Winnipeg,” said Thunderbirds head coach Mike Hawkins. “I’m confident this group is coming in with the right mindset to go out and compete in order to get the results at home.”

The Thunderbirds certainly don’t lack in offensive firepower, as they put up an incredible 134 kills across the two matches against Winnipeg.

The trio of Reeve Gingera, Gavin Moes and Dawson Pratt all recorded over 30 kills each, led by Moes who put up a career-high 28 in the second match of the weekend. Setter Mason Greves notched 52+ assists in both matches, after only reaching that mark four times in his first three years as a T-Bird.
 

Their opponents for this weekend, the Brandon Bobcats, are 1-1 after splitting their season-opening series against Trinity Western on the road. They finished 16-8 in Canada West play in 2023-24, and are ranked #8 in the country heading into this week.

UBC and Brandon faced off in the final weekend of the regular season last year, with the T-Birds dropping the first match but winning the second, both in five sets. The Thunderbirds have beaten the Bobcats in seven of their last eight meetings in Vancouver.

The T-Birds will hope that War Memorial Gym can serve as a fortress once again, after they went 10-4 on home court last season.

“Playing at War Memorial is always a special occasion,” added Hawkins. “We’re grateful for the incredible support we get from all the friends and family of the program, the Vancouver volleyball community, and the student body at UBC that come out and support. The excitement in the building always adds a boost for our athletes and staff, especially when we have a quality opponent like Brandon coming to town.”

The Halloween night home opener begins at 6:00 p.m. (PT), while the rematch on Friday starts at 5:30 p.m. (PT).