WVB | Quarter-final Preview

Article by Brian Swane, special to CW

Feb. 22, 2024 - The 2024 Canada West women’s volleyball playoffs begin with the quarter-final round, taking place at sites across the conference, Thursday through Sunday.

In best-of-three series, Manitoba welcomes UBC Okanagan, UFV faces MacEwan, UBC hosts Thompson Rivers, and Alberta visits the four-time defending champion Trinity Western Spartans.

The Spartans aim to become the first team to win five straight championships since the Victoria Vikes completed the five-peat in 1990, but face a challenging path, entering the playoffs as the fourth seed in an exceptionally deep conference that includes five of the top seven teams in the latest U SPORTS rankings.

Quarter-final winners move on to play in next week’s best-of-three semifinal round.

Watch all Canada West playoff action live and on-demand at Canada West TV. 

Trinity Western Spartans (19-5) vs. Alberta Pandas (18-6) at Langley Events Centre in Langley

• Series schedule:
  • Game 1 – Thursday, February 22 – 5 p.m. PST
  • Game 2 – Friday, February 23 – 5 p.m. PST
  • Game 3 (if necessary) – Saturday, February 24 – 6 p.m. PST
• Regular season head-to-head:

Did not play

• Who to watch:
  • Kaylee Plouffe (Trinity Western, third year, middle) registered a .404 hitting percentage and averaged 1.32 blocks per set to lead Canada West in both categories this season.
  • Allie Moore (Alberta, second year, middle) averaged 1.15 blocks per set to rank second in Canada West this season and had the third most blocks in the conference with 92. 

Manitoba Bisons (20-4) vs. UBC Okanagan Heat (10-14) at Investors Group Athletic Centre in Winnipeg

• Series schedule:
  • Game 1 – Friday, February 23 – 7 p.m. CST
  • Game 2 – Saturday, February 24 – 2 p.m. CST
  • Game 3 (if necessary) – Sunday, February 25 – 2 p.m. CST
• Regular season head-to-head:
  • Dec. 1: UBC Okanagan 0 at Manitoba 3
  • Dec. 2: UBC Okanagan 0 at Manitoba 3
• Who to watch:
  • Raya Surinx (Manitoba, second year, outside hitter) was Canada West’s most prolific attacker in 2023-24, leading the conference with 449.0 points and 388 kills.
  • Natalie Funk (UBC Okanagan, third year, middle) racked up the second most total blocks in the conference this season, with 97, while averaging 1.09 blocks per set. 

UFV Cascades (20-4) vs. MacEwan Griffins (12-12) at UFV Athletic Centre in Abbotsford

• Series schedule:
  • Game 1 – Friday, February 23 – 6 p.m. PST
  • Game 2 – Saturday, February 24 – 6 p.m. PST
  • Game 3 (if necessary) – Sunday, February 25 – 6 p.m. PST
• Regular season head-to-head:
  • Nov. 3: MacEwan 0 at UFV 3
  • Nov. 4: MacEwan 0 at UFV 3
• Who to watch:
  • Gabrielle Attieh (UFV, fifth year, outside hitter) followed up her 2022-23 Canada West First Team All-Star selection by leading the Cascades with 347.0 points this season.
  • Mariah Bereziuk (MacEwan, fourth year, outside hitter) totalled the third most points and third most kills in Canada West this season, with 378 and 316, respectively.

UBC Thunderbirds (22-2) vs. Thompson Rivers WolfPack (10-14) at War Memorial Gymnasium in Vancouver

• Series schedule:
  • Game 1 – Friday, February 23 – 6 p.m. PST
  • Game 2 – Saturday, February 24 – 5 p.m. PST
  • Game 3 (if necessary) – Sunday, February 25 – 3 p.m. PST
• Regular season head-to-head:
  • Nov. 17: Thompson Rivers 0 at UBC 3
  • Nov. 18: Thompson Rivers 0 at UBC 3
• Who to watch:
  • Akash Grewal (UBC, third year, outside hitter) notched 65 service aces in only 73 sets this season to lead Canada West with an average of 0.89 aces per set.
  • Brooklyn Olfert (Thompson Rivers, third year, outside hitter) was the busiest left side in Canada West this season, making just 32 errors on a conference-high 587 receptions.