LANGLEY B.C. – Trinity Western University women's volleyball team is in Calgary tonight to take on the Dinos for the Canada West championship. With TWU aiming for their third conference title in the last five years and Calgary looking to defend their Canada West crown, this match is sure to catch eyes and spin heads, as both teams had the same record and finished in the top two spots of the Canada West standings.

WEEKEND PREVIEW
Friday, March 8 at Calgary – 5 p.m. (PT)

THE WEEKEND STORY
• With a weekend sweep of the Alberta Pandas in last week's semifinal match, TWU is undefeated in playoffs thus far(4-0), having ousted Mount Royal Cougars in the quarter-finals as well.
• After Hilary Howe earned Canada West Women's Second Star of the Week honours this past week, the Spartans will look to the Calgary product to provide the offensive spark after averaging 5.56 points, 4.38 kills, 2.5 digs and 2.0 aces per set this past weekend
• Calgary is also undefeated in playoffs (4-0), beating Manitoba and UBC in the quarter-finals and semifinals, respectively.
• TWU has three of the top five aces-per-set leaders in the CW playoffs, with Avery Heppell (Langley) averaging 0.88, Brie King (Langley) averaging 0.69 and Mikaelyn Sych (Airdrie, Alta.) averaging 0.63.
• The Dinos will lean on Hannah Tanasichuk, is averaging 3.63 kills per set in the playoffs, and middle Beth Vinnell (Cochrane, Alta.), who is hitting .365 in the post-season, to help lead the offence.
• Vinnell is also second in CW in the playoffs with 1.44 blocks per set while teammate Adriel Goodman is third with 1.38 blocks per set.
• TWU got the upper hand in the regular season, sweeping the Dinos on home court Nov. 31 and Dec. 1, 2019 (3-2 W, 3-1 W)
• Both teams finished with same points at the end of the regular season, with the Dinos edging the Spartans on set differential.
• The last time Calgary and TWU met in the playoffs was in 2012-13 when the Spartans beat the Dinos in a best-of-three quarter-final series, winning 3-0 and 3-1.
• Since the end of the 2011-12 regular season, TWU is 15-3 against Calgary, including the regular season and playoffs.

SPARTANS HEAD-TO-HEAD IN 2018-19
vs. Calgary (2-0)
Nov. 30 – TWU 3 Calgary 2
Dec. 1 – TWU 3 Calgary 1

TRINITY WESTERN SPARTANS (19-5)
U SPORTS ranking: No. 6
Canada West Standings: 2nd
Last Weekend: Alberta (3-1 W, 3-1 W)
Playoff Streak: 4 WIns
Playoff Record: 4-0

CALGARY DINOS (19-5)
U SPORTS ranking: 2ND
Canada West Standings: 1st
Last Weekend: UBC (3-1 W, 3-1 W)
Playoff Streak: 4 Wins
Playoff Record: 4-0

-TW-