CALGARY – The Dinos welcome Alberta's top ranked volleyball teams to the Jack Simpson Gymnasium over the weekend.

First up is men's action on Friday when the Dinos take on the undefeated Golden Bears at 6 p.m., followed by women's action scheduled for 7:30. The schedule gets flipped on Saturday, with the women taking on the No. 2 Pandas at 5 p.m. followed by the men's game at 6:30. All four matches will be streamed live at CanadaWest.tv.

On the men's side, the Dinos have their work cut out for them, coming up against an undefeated Alberta Golden Bears squad. Ranked No. 1 all season long, save the initial rankings, Alberta's supremacy in Canada West has been impressive. They have lost just four sets the entire season thus far and remain one of three teams left in Canada to have an unblemished record in men's volleyball.

The Dinos come off the break having trained in Florida and competing against some unfamiliar CIS teams. Calgary's record thus far is less than stellar, having lost the last three series, including losses to Brandon in straight sets and two more to Saskatchewan at the end of November.

Golden Bear Tristan Aubry leads the league in hitting percentage from the middle. The fifth-year tops Canada West at a percentage of 0.492. The No. 1 team in the country also boasts setter Brett Walsh who, in his first year with Alberta, averages 10.8 sets per game. Calgary's libero Cory Meeuwisse sits at fourth in the league in digging averages with 2.74.

The story is somewhat the same for the women's team. Facing the reigning Canada West champions and CIS silver medalists, the Dinos will be in tough over the weekend against the No. 2 Alberta Pandas.

Calgary finished off the first half of the regular season with a weekend sweep of the Saskatchewan Huskies on the road, giving them a .500 record at 6-6.

The Pandas' season is quite a different story, with just two losses all season long, both to the No 1. UBC Thunderbirds, and excluding those games, have only given up four sets thus far.

The Dinos are no stranger to their provincial rivals this season though. Playing in the Dino cup three times in as many days during exhibition play, Calgary came close twice, taking them to five, but have yet to defeat Alberta. Both teams faced each other again in the Alberta New Year's Classic over the break, where the Pandas handily defeated the Dinos in three.

Despite their clear dominance in the country, Alberta holds no scoring leaders in the league. The Dinos on the other hand have some standouts. Middle Courtney Dawson is second in Canada West in hitting percentage with a 0.389 average in just her second year. She's also third on the list in blocks with an average of 1.14 per game.

Fifth-year Sarah Moncks also headlines the top five in digs, with an average of 3.22 a game. The outside hitter is a defensive staple in the Dinos lineup. Setter Jordhynn Guy has also been making an impact. The third-year ranks third in all of Canada in assists with a total of 420, good for first in the Canada West division.

The Dinos head out to Kelowna, B.C., to take on the UBC Okanagan Heat on Jan. 18-19.

-UC-