CALGARY – It has been seven weeks since the Calgary Dinos volleyball teams last stepped on the court for Canada West action – but that all changes this weekend when they host the Saskatchewan Huskies in the Jack Simpson Gym to open the stretch drive.

With a 12-match conference schedule in the fall, the Dinos have just eight left to wrap up the regular season – and both sit in playoff positions with a chance to host a first-round quarterfinal series. Calgary had a bye on the first weekend of conference play in 2012, and will play four consecutive weeks to wrap up the 2011-12 regular season.

It starts this weekend with the Huskies, who are languishing at the bottom of the standings on both the men's and women's sides – but that certainly doesn't mean they should be taken lightly.

The Dinos women (6-6) finished just out of the Top 10 this week as they get set to face the 0-12 Huskies, who have won just five sets in their first season under new head coach Jason Grieve. The playoffs are seemingly out of reach for Saskatchewan, and the Huskies are in a position of playing for next year.

The young Huskies, loaded with 10 first- and second-year players, face a Dinos squad that also has a first-year coach in Natalie Schwartz and has been decidedly middle-of-the-pack all season. Calgary has a perfect .500 record at 6-6, is 26-24 in sets won/lost, and currently sits seventh in the conference with two matches in hand over several of the teams it trails. The top seven teams make the playoffs, with the top four guaranteed to host a round – and the Dinos are just two games back of fourth-place Trinity Western, their opponent in two weeks' time. A home playoff date is the goal for Schwartz and her squad, and to keep that in reach a sweep of the Huskies is necessary.

The Dinos return Sarah Moncks to the line-up after she sat out the final two weeks in the fall with an injury. As a team, Calgary is second only to Manitoba in total kills at 12.83 per set – but it has been offence by committee, with Lindsey Doland the top Dino with 128 kills on the season – just 15th on the Canada West leaderboard.

Moncks and Andrea Price also crack the top 25. The Huskies, meanwhile, are led by Candace Hueser's 2.78 kills per set, while fourth-year middle Laura Beadle leads in both hitting percentage and total blocks.

The Dinos men, on the other hand, face a Huskies team that beat them in five sets back on Jan. 5 at a tournament hosted in Saskatoon. Saskatchewan's 1-11 record includes five losses in five-set matches, including one to No. 1 Trinity Western, two against No. 3 Alberta, and one each against Brandon and Winnipeg – both of which are also top-10 teams. Last week at home, the Huskies fell on consecutive nights to the Winnipeg Wesmen by 3-2 and 3-1 scores – and the fifth-set score was 16-14.

Calgary's men are still the defending Canada West champions, and with a 7-5 record are just one game in arrears of a two-way tie for third place between Alberta and UBC – and home court is a distinct possibility for them as well, especially with good results this weekend against the Huskies.

The Dinos are the most explosive team in the conference thus far, averaging nearly 14 kills per set. That offence should fare well against the Huskies, who are worst in the conference in both digs (8.62/set) and opponent hitting percentage (.290). Calgary's offensive prowess will take on the struggling Huskies defence head-on.

Individually, reigning CIS player of the year Graham Vigrass and right side Allen Meek lead the way for the Dinos. Meek sits fifth in the conference in total kills at 3.86 per set (170 total), while Vigrass' hitting percentage is a solid .316 – good enough for seventh in Canada West.

Saskatchewan middle Braden McLean is having an impressive third-year campaign for the Huskies. The junior national team alum sits third in Canada West with a .379 hitting efficiency while recording better than two kills per set – good numbers from that position. Third-year right side Matthew Busse gets the bulk of the volume for Brian Gavlas' Huskies, recording 152 kills in the 50 sets he's played to this point.

Calgary heads up the road to face the Alberta Pandas and Golden Bears next weekend. The Dinos close their home schedule Feb. 3-4 with Trinity Western, followed by a season-ending road trip to Regina Feb. 10-11.

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