CALGARY – The University of Calgary women's volleyball team returns to action for the first time in the New Year as they welcome the Brandon University Bobcats to the Jack Simpson Gym on Friday January 12 at 6 PM. The teams will continue the competition the following day, on Saturday January 13, at 4 PM.

Calgary holds third place in the conference with a 10-2 record, trailing behind Trinity Western by two points, and four points off leader UBC. Brandon is ranked fifth with their record of 7-5 but has wins in their last two games.

As 2017 came to a close, Beth Vinnell was the final U SPORTS Female Athletes of the Week for the period ending Dec. 3, 2017. Vinnell leads Canada West in hitting percentage with an impressive .405 mark and ranks second in blocks per set at 1.49. Kennedy Snape is also a threat, ranking second in Canada West for digs per set with 4.09, and 184 digs total. Leah Shevkenek, Kate Pexman and Brianna Solberg are also bound to keep the Bobcats on their toes, having finished the last games of the year on a strong note. 

Similarly to the Dinos, the Bobcats entered December break following a hard fought victory. A major contributor to the teams' success was Sami Love, whose net presence and strong serving game has helped the Bobcats mightily this year and has her ranked fourth in the conference in blocks per set at 1.24. She also ranks third on her team in kills with 69 and points at 109.5. Nikala Majewski has also impressed this season, obtaining 3.54 kills per set, while Michelle Egger is another force to be reckoned with, topping the conference in service aces per set at 0.78.

As a team, the Bobcats hold a hitting percentage of .583, with 10.72 kills per set, and 2.49 blocks per set. Comparatively, the Dinos manage .833, with 12.11 kills per set, and 2.91 blocks per set.