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Several Coast athletes are playoff bound

University sports

It’s playoff time for several Coast university athletes while several others are finishing up their regular seasons and hoping to punch their post-season tickets.

Roberts Creek’s Stuart Richey and the Thompson Rivers Uni-versity WolfPack men’s volleyball team won the last two matches last weekend in Saskatoon against the University of Saskatchewan Huskies to finish with a record of 13-11 and advance to the Canada West playoffs.

The WolfPack are riding an eight-game winning streak into this weekend’s quarterfinal match-up against Trinity Western in Langley.

Last Friday, Thompson Rivers won 3-0 against the Huskies with Richey a key to the win with nine kills.

“Stu made some clutch points,” said coach Pat Hennelly.

On Saturday night, the WolfPack were pushed to five sets before beating the Huskies. Richey had seven kills in 20 chances with eight digs, two solo blocks and two block assists.

In Kelowna, the UBC Okanagan Heat women’s volleyball team and Gibsons’ Michelle Jakszuk host the defending national champion Manitoba Bisons in a best-of-three Canada West quarterfinal playoff, which starts this Friday, Feb. 13.

The Heat, ranked number two in Canada, finished in a three-way tie for first place with Alberta and Trinity Western with identical 19-5 records. The Heat received the third-place ranking based on a sets won and lost ratio.

The Heat are smoking heading into the playoffs, winners of 15 of their last 16 matches.

Other quarterfinal matches this weekend include Trinity hosting Brandon, and Calgary hosting UBC. Alberta received a first round bye and will host the Canada West final four semifinals over the Feb. 20 weekend.

The UBC men’s hockey team and Madeira Park forward Joe Antilla will host their first home playoff game since 1971 next Thursday, Feb. 19.

The Thunderbirds finished conference play with a weekend split in Lethbridge losing 4-3 on Jan. 29, and winning 4-0 on Jan. 30 to finish 15-12-4 overall and 13-11-4 in the Canada West conference, clinching fourth place.

UBC plays host to the Manitoba Bisons in a best-of-three series with games Feb. 19 and 20 and, if necessary, Feb. 21, all at 7 p.m. at the Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre.

Antilla finished the regular season with four goals and seven assists.

The Douglas College Royals men’s and women’s basketball teams took to the island last weekend for games with the Vancouver Island University Mariners and Camosun Chargers.

The men’s Royals, led by Gibsons fourth-year guard Andrew Baron, were no match for the Mariners Friday night, losing 91-61. But the Royals bounced back with an 84-74 overtime win over the Chargers on Saturday. The Royals are 9-7 on the season and head to Langara this weekend.

The women’s team, featuring Gibsons second-year guard Ellen Fallis, lost 60-49 to the Mariners on Friday night, but also bounced back Saturday with a 61-38 win over the Chargers. The Royals, 10-6, are also off to Langara this weekend to play the Falcons.