CALGARY - Postseason bids have been locked up for all teams involved, but the added incentive of home-court advantage in the playoffs looms large over the latest version of the Battle of Alberta.

With a big five-set win over the University of Manitoba Bisons on Saturday, the Calgary Dinos women locked a playoff berth in Canada West, an outstanding achievement in itself considering the injuries the team has had to deal with throughout the year.

Notwithstanding this, against Alberta this weekend, the lady Dinos can still clinch a quarterfinal home playoff berth as the middle of the pack remains clogged up in the standings.

With Winnipeg and Regina facing do-or-die ramifications as they battle for the seventh spot, Brandon and Calgary are 9-7 at fifth and sixth, while Alberta and Manitoba are 10-6 at third and fourth. The door is open for any of those teams to nail down home-court advantage in the first weekend of playoffs, with the second, third and fourth place teams receiving the honour.

Calgary of course would need a sweep of their rivals, the Pandas, in order to have a chance at a higher placement, and thus have the tougher task. Calgary will also need help from either Winnipeg and/or Trinity Western, who face Brandon and Manitoba, respectively.

With all that being said, the Dinos can only worry about what lies directly in their path, and that is Krista Zubick and the Pandas. Zubick leads Alberta in total kills and points, and ranks second in service aces, partnering with Jaki Ellis as the conference's 1-2 punch in that regard.

Fifth year Calgary native Tiffany Proudfoot remains a significant threat in the green and gold as well, averaging almost three kills per game.

Calgary relies on a strong, balanced attack, with Melanie Miazga, Lindsay Russell, and Lindsey Doland all notching over 100 kills on the year, while Sarah Moncks came on strong against Manitoba this past weekend, notching 15 kills on Saturday.

Sarah Lacny stands tall as their leader from the setter's position, where she has racked up a remarkable 605 assists over the first 16 games, good for third in the conference.

Following the women's games on both Friday and Saturday will be a huge battle between the first- and second-place men's teams in Canada West: the No. 3 Dinos and the No. 2 Golden Bears, respectively.

The Dinos need just one match victory against the Bears to get a first-round playoff bye and the rights to host the Canada West Final Four, while the Bears will need a sweep for the same distinction. At least three of the four teams who convene at the Final Four will receive an invite to the CIS Championships in Langley, an incentive which will no doubt drive both teams towards an entertaining couple of matches this weekend.

The Dinos, who despite their lower national ranking, have a perfect 16-0 record going into this weekend's series. The defending national champions have dominated along the way, winning 48 individual sets to just nine losses. The Dinos have won 18 of the 19 sets in the past six matches as well, dispatching the fourth, fifth, and ninth-ranked teams during that span.

The Dinos have a dominant offence to thank for that success, where they rank first in the country in kills per set with 14.26, while they are second to only Laval in hitting efficiency, putting away 29 percent of their attacks.

Jay Blankenau has been fantastic at the setter position for Calgary, dishing out just over 10 helpers per game.

It's becoming hard to find descriptors good enough to suit Graham Vigrass, the 2010 CIS championship MVP, as he has been in top shape all season long and is a solid player of the year candidate. Vigrass nails 3.95 kills per game, which is good for third in the conference. He also leads the team in blocks, accounting for 70 of them – leading the next closest Dino by 34 – and is second in hitting percentage in Canada West.

Alberta counters with a terrific group of players themselves, including setter Tanner Nault. Nault notches just over 11 assists per game, and is no slouch at the service line, spinning 17 aces on the season.

Big middles Justin Merta and Simon Lidster lead an Alberta blocking attack that ranks third in CIS, combining for 155 of them, while Spencer Leiske drives the Bears in kills, notching 3.73 per match.

The Dinos men are guaranteed to host a playoff weekend. Should they get at least one victory against the Bears this weekend, they'll host the Final Four Feb. 25-26; otherwise, the conference quarterfinal series will go next weekend in the Jack.

-UC-