T-Birds open historic season vs new rival Cascades
VANCOUVER – A season full of pleasure and expectation formally will get underway this weekend at Battle Memorial Health club because the UBC Thunderbirds Girls’s Volleyball workforce hosts the Fraser Valley Cascades to open up the 2022-23 Canada West marketing campaign at Battle Memorial Health club.
Set to host the U SPORTS Nationwide Championship for the primary time in 40 years this coming March, the T-Birds are assured a berth on the large dance. However there is no query the workforce desires to earn their manner there correctly and the lengthy highway to attaining glory begins now.
That includes a veteran heavy roster with the likes of fourth-year setter Kayla Oxland, fifth-year center blockers Danielle Worth and Jayde Robertsen, and fourth-year libero Kacey Jost, the ‘Birds are as deep a workforce as Reimer has had in a few years, bolstered by a formidable crop of latest recruits, all of whom are gunning for this system’s 13th nationwide title, and first since 2019.
WVB: @TWUSpartans favoured to finish elusive four-peat
However some laborious hitters stand of their manner.
All of it begins Friday on https://t.co/hTaeCa3GCl
Your full season preview: https://t.co/NfysSO7Hxe pic.twitter.com/WdTNxNMVpP
— Canada West (@CanadaWest) October 17, 2022
After failing to advance to the Nationwide Championship in every of the final three seasons, the workforce did finish the 2022 Canada West playoffs oh-so-close to qualifying, falling to the Mount Royal Cougars within the convention bronze medal match.
That have and heartache is definitely a driving pressure for the T-Birds as they enter this historic season.
“It is motivated us in a variety of methods,” stated UBC Head Coach Doug Reimer now in his 26th season manning the T-Birds bench. “We’re returning a lot of sturdy gamers who went thorough that have…so hopefully remembering that serves as a little bit of motivation. However greater than something we’re beginning at a a lot better place than one 12 months in the past.”
The ‘Birds have had a busy and profitable pre-season, with a 7-2 exhibition report towards among the prime groups from throughout the nation. Simply final weekend the blue and gold gained every of their three matches towards Queen’s, Alberta, and Mount Royal on the Volleyball Showcase held on the Langley Occasions Centre. It is allowed the T-Birds teaching employees to not solely put together for the rigorous common season, but additionally a chance to check some lineup combos and get some vital reps all through the roster.
“We had three weekends of excellent competitors which obtained a lot of totally different folks wherein has given us some actual good consciousness of areas we’re doing effectively in and areas we have to proceed to work on as we progress,” added Reimer. “Trying again on final 12 months the place it took us too lengthy to get sufficient quantity of matches, we’re trying ahead to some common competitors.”
Final season – Fraser Valley’s inaugural Canada West marketing campaign – the T-Birds took three of 4 common season matches over the Cascades together with a weekend sweep in Abbottsford in February. This 12 months, the 2 decrease mainland rivals have already met as soon as, a straight units UBC victory September 30 at Battle Memorial Health club.
“With out query Fraser Valley is a stronger workforce than they have been a 12 months in the past and we’ll should play a very stable sport. Our objective is to strategy it the way in which we have performed by a lot of the exhibition season and see if we are able to convey that very same stage of play each nights. I feel it’ll be some actually good volleyball.”
First serve of the brand new season is about for Friday, October 21 at 6:00 p.m. PT at Battle Memorial Health club with Saturday’s rematch starting at 5:00 p.m. Tickets can be found now and each video games shall be streamed reside on Canada West TV.
