T-Birds look to spike it rich
Power hitter Brar leads team into playoffs against Manitoba
They say all the right things. They’re taking it one game at a time. A national championship would be nice, but they’re focused on the next game first. You know, the usual athlete platitudes.
But don’t think for a second the UBC Thunderbirds men’s volleyball team isn’t thinking about breaking a championship drought that goes back to 1983.
“We actually have 1983 as the passcode for our team room,” fifth-year outside hitter Irvan Brar said with a laugh. “So every day, we walk into the team room, and we type it in. It’s a nice little reminder. It’s been over 30 years … it’s nuts.”
The T-Birds are ranked second in the nation behind the Langley-based Trinity Western Spartans, whose 22-2 record was just ahead of UBC’s 20-4 mark. The Thunderbirds host the Manitoba Bisons on Thursday at 7 p.m., the first in their bestof-three playoff series. Game 2 is Friday at 8 p.m., with Game 3, if necessary, going Saturday at 8 p.m. All games will be held at War Memorial Gym.
The Bisons, who have won four straight, finished the season in seventh with an 11-13 record, but were one of just four teams to take a game off UBC this year.
“I think having lost to them in the regular season, it’s kind of good. Our guys will come in prepared, and realizing this team could possibly beat us, we won’t be overconfident,” said Brar. “It won’t be in the back of our heads that we will steamroll this team.
“We’re treating it like it’s a Trinity Western, it’s a U of A, it’s a Brandon. You treat each team the same, no matter who is on the other side.”
The Thunderbirds last won a Canada West title in 1983-84, the year after they won the nationals. The Bisons swept them in last year’s Canada West playoffs, but they still made the nationals for the first time in nine seasons.
They returned every player from 2017, and coach Kerry MacDonald figures the experience will give them an edge.
“I think we’re a team that can get scoring from a multitude of individuals. We’re not a team that’s relying on one guy to win us a match,” said MacDonald, whose team led the nation in kills.
“A well-balanced, well-rounded offence has been our strength. We’re a team that serves incredibly hard, and we make it really tough for other teams to be in a system, so that makes our defensive jobs a little less demanding.
“(Manitoba) have some really young guys — great athletes — but definitely really younger players out on the floor. We’re probably a more veteran team all-around, with a couple of exceptions.
“I’m hoping some of that experience will help us prevail in the playoffs.”
Brar’s 300 kills were tops on the team and sixth in Canada West, ahead of Keith West (171), Joel Regehr (144), Fynn McCarthy (143) and Jordan Deshane (142). Byron Keturakis had 22 aces, setting a Canada West single-season serving record.
But the 6-2 Brar is the engine that drives the T-Birds. The Surrey native finished his regular-season career in the top-10 all-time in Canada West points with 1,342.5, and had 360.5 this season, sixth in the conference.
“He’s been a consummate leader for us, on and off the court. What he’s been able to do at UBC in five years is really motivating and inspiring, especially to our younger guys,” said MacDonald. “He’s a 6-2 power hitter, and we’re not recruiting too many 6-2 power hitters anymore, but maybe we should be, because he’s one of the best in the country.
“He’s going to graduate, statistically, anyways, as the best player to have ever played for our program.”
In his final season, Brar would like nothing more than to go out a winner — something he’s never accomplished in his volleyball career.
“Being an Olympic athlete is the highest prize you can get in sport. I want to try to get to that level. I would trade any individual accolades for that banner,” he said.
“I’ve never won growing up in club, never won for the provincial or school teams … I think there’s something to be said to be the best in your country, and I would trade any individual accolade for that championship.”