Bobcats face tough test in T-Birds

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This article was published 26/02/2025 (205 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Eight teams remain in the running for the Canada West men’s volleyball title.

The Brandon University Bobcats defeated six this season. Of course, their quarterfinal opponent is the only one they didn’t.

The Bobcats want to change that as they start their playoff run against the UBC Thunderbirds in Vancouver today at 9 p.m. CT.

Match 2 of the best-of-three series is Friday at 9 p.m., and if necessary, Saturday’s first serve is set for 9:30 p.m.

“UBC’s exactly where we want to go — the opportunity to leave no stone unturned,” said BU left side Liam Pauls.

“The mental battle of going back there knowing we didn’t get the job done last time, and what happened last year — things didn’t work out for us — so we’re super happy going to UBC this weekend.”

Brandon needed two wins at UBC in last year’s regular-season finale to secure home court for the quarterfinals. It won the first match 3-2 but fell in five sets, dropping the last 15-13 the following night on a questionable match-point call.

The loss dropped BU to a four-way tie for third at 16-8, losing the tiebreaker to everyone and visiting the Trinity Western Spartans for a quick two-loss trip to end the season.

This year, the Bobcats visited the T-Birds after the Spartans on the second week of the season, staying in British Columbia instead of flying home and back.

They lost both matches 3-1. Brandon split TWU, then also went 1-1 against all the other playoff teams. UBC was the only one to have its number.

“I honestly don’t know if it matters. It’s a new season, right? Everybody’s 0-0 right now,” said Bobcats head coach Grant Wilson.

Wilson and Pauls agreed there isn’t one major weapon they’re worried about on the other side.

It’s not that they don’t have big pieces — they have two in the top 10 in Canada West kills per set in Gavin Moes (3.69) and Reeve Gingera (3.17) — they have too many to simply focus on one.

They have the most efficient hitter in the league in senior middle blocker Kieran Robinson-Dunning, who finished the regular season at .510.

“They’re all so good and they’re also a deep team,” Wilson said.

“We know what the statistics say and know they’ll be good in certain areas but at the end of the day they’re pretty deep, they’re physical, they can beat you in different ways so our focus is just on trying to be the best version of us.”

Gingera hasn’t played since Jan. 11, save for a few points as a sub on Feb. 14.

Since his injury, the Bobcats are 6-2 with three straight wins to rocket up the standings to sixth place at the end. They earned a bye for last week’s play-in round but didn’t treat it as a week to relax.

“Our vibe in practice has been anything but chill. Guys are pushing each other, getting in each other’s grills to motivate each other,” Pauls said. “Even though it’s reading week, even though we don’t have class, we’ve got a job to do (today), Friday, Saturday maybe, so that’s the focus.”

It’s tough to use matches in October and November to plan for the playoffs, and as Wilson preaches to his team, knowing an opponent’s tendencies only goes so far compared to executing on your own side.

He has looked as far down his bench as ever to find success this season, putting three middle blockers and four left sides into starting lineups while working five more players in as situational subs.

“Depth is our key to success, honestly,” Wilson said. “We know we’re not going to be perfect every day and we know if somebody’s struggling or having an off day we have somebody we can turn to and still have confidence in them. You’ll see that going forward all the way to the end of the season.”

Pauls has been a mainstay, along with setter JJ Love, middle blocker Philipp Lauter and libero Michael Flor.

Pauls finished with a team-high 220 kills and 83 errors as one of the more efficient hitters on the team at .244.

Brandon’s ideal starting rotation includes Tom Friesen, who played sporadically due to a nagging knee injury before being unleashed in the home finale, a massive four-set win over the top-seed Winnipeg Wesmen.

Friesen had 14 kills that night, then posted 19 kills and just two errors in the 3-1 win at Thompson Rivers to clinch a playoff spot.

If he keeps that up, he will play as many points as he can handle during the post-season run.

“It was a big confidence boost for us. We know that when he’s healthy and playing at a high level, he’s one of the best players in the conference if not the country,” Wilson said.

“We’re still trying to manage it, he’ll never be perfect in terms of his health but we feel like we have a better gauge on how to keep him healthy.”

LAUTER HONOURED

In his final season as a Bobcat, Lauter is once again a Canada West all-star.

The German was named to the second team following a solid campaign, finishing ninth in the league with a .350 hitting percentage.

Lauter put up 134 kills and 31 errors while leading Canada West with 84 blocks. His 1.08 blocks per set were good for third.

The U Sports rookie of the year in 2022 also tallied 21 aces including multiple set winners.

AROUND THE WEST

The other quarterfinals feature some enticing provincial rivalries as the Wesmen host the No. 8 Manitoba Bisons, who swept the UBC Okanagan Heat in the play-in round.

The Calgary Dinos outlasted the Fraser Valley Cascades to earn a battle of Alberta against the No. 2 seed Golden Bears in Edmonton.

Saskatchewan hosts TWU in the 4-5 series.

It’s a strict bracket, meaning the BU-UBC winner plays either Alberta or Calgary in a single-weekend final four hosted by the highest-remaining seed.

Three Canada West teams join BU at nationals on March 21-23 in the Wheat City, along with the top three teams from Ontario and the winner of the RSEQ final between Sherbrooke and Laval.

However, if Brandon takes one of the spots as a medallist, both RSEQ finalists are in.

» tfriesen@brandonsun.com

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