VANCOUVER – The No. 7-ranked UBC Thunderbirds (7-3) will look to extend their six-game winning streak in Alberta as they take on the No. 5 Golden Bears (8-2) on Friday, November 29, at 5:00 p.m. PT and Saturday, November 30, at 6:30 p.m. PT at the Saville Community Sports Centre. It’s the final series of the calendar year for the ‘Birds who are heading out on the road for the first time since October 26th.
UBC is now fourth in the Canada West, while the Golden Bears are two points up in third after a five-game win streak of their own. Alberta got the best of the ‘Birds in their last head-to-head matchup, winning a pair of 3-1 decisions in head coach Mike Hawkins’ first two games at the helm a season ago.
Last Action
The T-Birds are undefeated at home inside War Memorial Gym after a series win over the Thompson Rivers University WolfPack (1-7) last weekend. UBC won 3-1 in an afternoon contest before taking game two in a 3-0 sweep the following evening. Coltyn Liu maintained his Canada West-best service aces per set with another five aces over the weekend and added nineteen kills with eight digs in seven sets. Matt Neaves had an efficient 25 kills over the weekend as the ‘Birds closed out their home stretch with authority.
Alberta hasn’t dropped a single set in their last five victories – most recently sweeping the Mount Royal Cougars (4-8) 3-0 and 3-0 for another two road wins. The Golden Bears’ last loss came at the hands of TRU on November 8th.
Coach’s Take
UBC head coach Mike Hawkins is preparing for a tough test against a quality Golden Bears squad this weekend.
“They’re a physical team that plays a fairly similar style to the TRU team that we just finished playing, with heavy serving and a strong block defence,” said Hawkins. “So we know our serve receive and decision-making on offence will need to be crisp to be efficient against this team. They have some strong attackers we will look to put in difficult situations with our tough serving as well, so I expect a high-calibre battle throughout both games.”
Even with his team on a roll of late, Hawkins believes his ‘Birds are still growing each week.
“We are constantly re-assessing our team and our performances to find deficiencies that we can improve from week to week. I’ve been really pleased at how we seem to be consistently taking strides forward in all aspects of our game without taking steps backwards, so our focus is to continue that process and continue improving. It has been a long semester, but I haven’t sensed any complacency from our group which is a testament to their focus and intent every day in training.”
[SOURCE: UBC]