Brian Swane, Special to Canada West
EDMONTON– The drive to Edmonton starts this weekend, as the Canada West women's volleyball playoffs get underway with quarter-final action across the conference.
The four best-of-three series are just the first step for eight teams that hope to win the Canada West tittle and ultimately move on to the U SPORTS Championship at the University of Alberta next month.
You can watch every CW game all post-season on Canada West TV.
No. 8 Manitoba (12-12 reg. season) -AT- No. 1 Calgary (19-5)
- Jack Simpson Gym in Calgary
- Game 1 – Thursday, 3:30 p.m. MST
- Game 2 – Friday, 3:30 p.m. MST
- Game 3* - Saturday, noon. MST*
The 2018 Canada West champion Dinos picked up this season right where they left off, winning the first 10 games of their schedule on the way to a 19-5 record atop the regular season standings. Calgary defeated Manitoba 3-0 on consecutive nights at the Jack Simpson Gym in November. Fifth-year Libero Cassie Bujan had a conference-best 448 digs, helping the Bisons go 12-12 to reach the post-season. Calgary ranked first in Canada West with a .249 hitting percentage.
No. 5 UBC (15-9) -AT- No. 4 Regina (16-8)
- Physical Centre for Kinesiology, Health & Sport in Regina
- Game 1 – Thursday, 7 p.m. CST
- Game 2 – Friday, 7 p.m. CST
- Game 3* - Saturday 6 p.m. CST*
For a second consecutive season Regina and UBC meet in the quarter-final round, but this time it will take place in Saskatchewan. Last year's series was in Vancouver, where the host T-Birds made short work of Regina on their way to Canada West silver. UBC continued its run of success against the Cougars in November, winning two games at the KHC, but since then, the Cougars are 13-1 and finished the regular season with 10 consecutive wins.
No. 7 Mount Royal (12-12) -AT- No. 2 Trinity Western (19-5)
- Langley Events Centre in Langley
- Game 1 – Thursday, 6 p.m. PST
- Game 2 – Friday, 6 p.m. PST
- Game 3* - Saturday, 6 p.m. PST
TWU hosts the Cougars in a rematch of the teams' 2017 best-of-three quarter-final series, which the Spartans swept in Langley. MRU won five of its last eight games, while Trinity Western went 3-5 to finish the season, but two of those games were head-to-head meetings that saw TWU beat the Cougars twice in Calgary. Mount Royal has proven it can win away from Kenyon Court, going 6-6 on the road this season. TWU middle blocker Mikaelyn Sych leads Canada West with 1.33 blocks per set.
No. 6 Thompson Rivers (13-11) -AT- No. 3 Alberta (18-6)
- Saville Community Sports Centre in Edmonton
- Game 1 – Friday, 4 p.m. MST
- Game 2 – Saturday, 3 p.m. MST
- Game 3* – Sunday, 1 p.m. MST
TRU returns to the post-season after a one-year absence, posting a solid 13-11 record in 2018-19, while the perennial powerhouse Pandas went 18-6. This series could go the distance if the regular season is any indication, as the WolfPack and Pandas traded 3-0 victories in Edmonton before the holiday break. Both teams arrive in the post-season with momentum, TRU having taken five of its last six, and Alberta on a five-game win streak, and haven't lost in 13 straight sets.