T-Birds look to extend six game winning streak against Wolfpack

VANCOUVER – The U SPORTS No.1-ranked UBC Thunderbirds (6-0) look to continue a sterling start to their latest National Championship defence when they host the Thompson Rivers University Wolfpack (2-4) for a pair of games at War Memorial Gym this weekend. First serve on Friday is set for 6:00 p.m. (PT) while Saturday’s action is slated to start at 5:00 p.m. (PT).

The T-Birds have retained their status as top team in the country thanks to a dominant beginning to the 2023-24 campaign. The blue and gold have dropped only one set over their first six matches, and that came during a game in Winnipeg in which they had won the first two sets handily and gave the bench some run in the third.
 

“I would point to our ability to put teams under pressure serving and run strong offence in all zones as key reasons for our strong start,” reflected UBC head coach Doug Reimer. “Our passing has been pretty consistent, allowing our setters to be in system a lot of the time.”

UBC said goodbye to six graduating seniors after winning last season’s U SPORTS Championship on home court, meaning that despite the team’s continued success there are a lot of players who have had to step into new roles on this year’s squad.

“Lots of changes, I could highlight so many players who have played more leading roles this season,” mused Reimer. “But often overlooked is the play of middle blockers and I think we have seen two experienced players who didn’t get as much court time last year due to injury and our depth in that position. Both Claire Cossarini, who was recovering from foot surgery last year, and Emma Doyon have contributed it a lot to our blocking and offence in the middle. They are also still working hard to improve and we are seeing them and the other middles develop and get more comfortable.”

Doyon is fourth in the conference in blocks per set, while Cossarini is top 10 in that category as well.

Another early season standout for the ‘Birds has been Akash Grewal, the only player in Canada West averaging more than an ace per set. She also sits second in hitting percentage and top 10 in kills per set.

This week’s opponent, TRU, is at a pedestrian 2-4 to start the campaign, but they took a game off of a Huskies team in Saskatchewan last weekend that had only lost one other match all year. The T-Birds won both of their matchups against the Wolfpack last season, each 3-0. However, the ‘Pack beat the ‘Birds in five sets at an exhibition tournament in Kamloops.
 

“They have a lot of offensive talent and ability score from all zones,” concluded Reimer. “They are young, but have shown they can compete hard. I am not sure you can put too much weight on pre -season, but we saw how they well they can play when we lost at their gym in September.”

The double dip against TRU is the only time the T-Birds are home in the month of November. Tickets to both Friday and Saturday’s game can still be purchased here. Stream all of the action live or on demand on Canada West TV.