With men’s hockey losing to Calgary, women’s hockey losing to Saskatchewan, men’s basketball losing to Calgary (though they are still eligible for an at-large playoff spot in nationals, to be announced this weekend) and women’s basketball losing to Regina, The Ubyssey's sports section would like to formally announce that we are now volleyball fans for the remainder of the 2017/18 U Sports season.
We have always been volleyball fans and with the volleyball teams being our only current official hope of covering U Sports spring nationals beyond the swim team who won last weekend, we would like to say: please win, volleyball.
Please bump that ball and spike that ball and… dig that ball? Okay, I don’t really know what a dig is, I’ll admit, but if you keep winning, I’ll learn! And we’ll learn. The entire Ubyssey sports section will be front and centre, cheering you on as you serve us a victory. Get it? Like serving in volleyball? See, volleyball teams, we’re already on our way to becoming your number one fans.
So, as we get back from reading break and have to trudge on through what was the snow, we at sports would like to ask the students at UBC to lend a helping hand to our hopeful volleyball heroes. See them having trouble opening a door? Open it and tell them they’re awesome. Their hands are full with books and/or volleyballs? Here, have my backpack. They can’t reach something on the top shelf? Double check that they are actually on the volleyball team, because that shouldn’t even happen.
Both the women’s and men’s volleyball teams finished second in Canada West this year which means that they are good and being good means that they can win! But if the chances of glory and winning don’t convince you to become a fan, maybe these stats will:
The men’s team out- “killed” (because volleyball has cooler stat names than any sport) their opponents 1,244 to 899 which equaled out to 12.6 kills per set. What’s a kill? Any point-scoring play.
If the women’s team stood on each other’s shoulders they would be half as tall as the 1954 rendition of Godzilla. At 923 total inches (76.91 feet), the team averages out to being 5’11” and a half feet tall. If the men’s team stood on each other shoulders they would be 1/12 of the height of the Empire State Building. At 1,382 inches total (115.2 feet) the average men’s player is 6’4”.
Alessandra Gentile and Byron Keturakis are each team’s assist master. Gentile racked up 902 of her teams 1,243 total assists and Keturakis 1,035 of his teams 1,176 assists – combined, the two equal to 80 per cent of all UBC’s assists.
The women’s team are also the reigning U Sports champions. If history says anything, they’ve got some serious firepower.
And if you think you’ll be alone in cheering on the 'Birds, don’t! Volleyball games average about 545 people at every home game.
The men will play against Alberta in the semis this weekend, who they split their season series with 1-1 (UBC 3 – Alberta 2, and Alberta 3 – UBC 1). Their game times will be March 2 at 8 p.m., March 3 at 8 p.m. and game three — if necessary — will be March 4 at 5 p.m.
The women will be playing against our neighbours to the north, UBC Okanagan, who the Thunderbirds tied in their season series 1-1 (UBC 3 – UBC Okanagan 1, and UBC Okanagan 3 - UBC 1). Their game times will be March 2 at 6 p.m., March 3 at 6 p.m., and game three — if necessary — will be March 4 at 3 p.m. There is even some sibling rivalry in the women's game, as Olivia Furlan faces off against her sister Sophia who plays for UBCO.
Come on out and join us as we learn about — I mean, cheer on — our volleyball teams.
This article has been updated to clarify that the men's basketball team is still eligible for the at-large playoff spot at U Sports nationals. The Ubyssey regrets this error.