CALGARY – The Brandon Bobcats have been on a mission all season, and the University of Calgary Dinos will have the first chance to stop them in their tracks.

The Dinos are in Brandon, Man. for a best-of-three Canada West quarter-final series which gets underway Thursday night at Brandon University's Healthy Living Centre. All three games Thursday, Friday and, if necessary, Saturday, will go at 6 p.m. MT, live on CanadaWest.tv.

BEWARE OF CATS
Brandon rolled through Canada West this season, posting a 20-2 record and earning the No. 1 ranking in the nation. Their only setbacks came at the hands of Mount Royal back in early November; but outside those two matches, Brandon dropped just six sets in their remaining 20 outings, and only two of those came at home. Brandon's five-man unit of Elliott Viles (246 kills), Seth Friesen (226), Robin Baghdady (176), Mason Metcalf (129), and James Weir (122) is as balanced as any in the league, and the Bobcats topped the conference in kills per set, hitting percentage, and blocks per set.

SO YOU'RE SAYING THERE'S A CHANCE
Just because it hasn't happened before doesn't mean it won't, and the Dinos have been on the other end of a major quarter-final upset when, as a No. 2 seed, they dropped a three-match series to Winnipeg back in 2009. A No. 8 seed hasn't beaten No. 1 in Canada West men's volleyball since the playoffs expanded to eight teams, but the Dinos need look no further than their Jan. 19 win over then-No. 6 Alberta to see the type of effort they'll need to upend the giant.

SCOUTING REPORT
vs. BRANDON BOBCATS
Series Info: Thursday, Feb. 21 at 6 p.m., Friday, Feb. 22 at 6 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 23 at 6 p.m. (If necessary) – BU Healthy Living Centre (all times MT)
2018-19 Record 20-2, 1st in Canada West
Players to Watch Elliott Viles (246 kills), James Weir (84 blocks), Reece Dixon (814 assists, 152 digs)

NOTES

• Five Bobcats finished with more than 120 kills on the season
• The Dinos' Tim Taylor finished third in CW in kills per set, averaging 3.75
• Calgary's strength over the season was on defence, with the fourth-best digs-per-set total in Canada West (9.47)
• The Dinos and Bobcats last met in a playoff series in 2012, with the Dinos taking a 2-1 decision over the Bobcats. Their only other playoff meeting was the 2011 Canada West championship game, which the Dinos took in five sets on a neutral court in Edmonton.

UP NEXT
The winner of this series will take on the winner of the Mount Royal-Saskatchewan series

-UC-