CALGARY – Winners of four straight and back in the national top-10 rankings, the University of Calgary Dinos face another stiff test when they host the No. 6-ranked University of Alberta Golden Bears for a two-game series this weekend in the Jack Simpson Gym.

First serve is slated for 7:30 p.m. Friday night, with the return tilt Saturday at 5:30 p.m. Both matches will be streamed live on CanadaWest.tv.

BACK TO .500
The Dinos evened their record at 7-7 last weekend with a pair of big 3-0 wins over the Winnipeg Wesmen, with whom they entered the weekend tied for the final playoff spot at 5-7. Calgary currently sits in seventh place in the Canada West standings, with their remaining eight matches split between teams at the top of the standings (Alberta and Mount Royal, both 11-3) and teams at the bottom (3-11, Macewan; 4-10 UBC). The Winnipeg weekend had the added bonus of vaulting the Dinos back into the national top-10 rankings, where they sit ninth – their first appearance since Week 1 of the season back in mid-October.

WOUNDED BEARS
Expect the opposition to be ornery this weekend after being swept on their home floor for the first time in 19 years by the Brandon Bobcats last weekend. It's a challenge the Dinos have been building towards, with Head Coach Rod Durrant saying the team is playing its "best volleyball of the season" after last week's sweep of Winnipeg.

QUOTABLE
"They're going to come in here with purpose," said Durrant. "Our guys know that team as well as any team in the country, and it's a match our guys always look forward to having. It's a good measuring stick – they are a top-four team in our league and have been for a long time, and I don't see them moving far from that. It'll give us a good opportunity to see where we're at."

SCOUTING REPORT
vs. ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS
Match Info Friday, Jan. 18 at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, Jan. 19 at 5:30 p.m. – Jack Simpson Gym
2018-19 Record 11-3, T-2nd in Canada West
Players to Watch Taryq Sani (3.37 kills/set), Alec McMullin (2.93 kills/set), Jacob Deinum (0.88 blocks/set)

NOTES

• The Golden Bears dropped both matches at home to top-ranked Brandon last weekend, falling 3-0 and 3-1 to the Bobcats.
• Alberta has played 59 sets, more than any other team in the conference, this year.
• The two teams squared off twice in non-conference competition last fall, with the Bears winning a 3-0 match at home followed by a tight five-setter at the Dino Cup in October, which Alberta won 15-13 in the fifth set.

UP NEXT
The Dinos stay in the province but head on the road for two weeks, with stops at MacEwan Feb. 1-2 in Edmonton followed by a pair at Mount Royal Feb. 8-9. Calgary closes the regular season at home Feb. 15-16 when the UBC Thunderbirds visit the Jack Simpson Gym.