The University of Regina's volleyball teams get back to the Canada West schedule this weekend at home, as the Cougars host UBC Okanagan on Saturday and Sunday at the Centre for Kinesiology, Health & Sport.

Saturday sees the women's match starting things off at 1:00 p.m. with the men to follow beginning at 2:30 p.m. It's the reverse on Sunday, as the men will start at 1:00 p.m. with first serve for the women scheduled for 2:30 p.m.

Women's Preview
With 10 conference matches remaining on the schedule, the Cougars (3-9) enter the weekend three wins back of Calgary for the final Canada West postseason spot – and will have to surpass eighth-place Brandon and ninth-place Winnipeg along the way if they hope to lock up a playoff berth.

The Cougars' top option this season has been outside hitter Desiree Ates, who's in her first season at U of R after a brief stint at the University of New Hampshire. Ates has piled up a team-high 132 kills while hitting just a shade under .200 for the season, while third-year middle Michelle Sweeting has 115 kills and leads the team with a .285 hitting percentage. Sweeting is also the team's leader with 31 blocks, while second-year middle Trisha Dobson is just behind with 29 blocks.

Meagan Lane has been a bright spot for the Cougars this season, as the second-year setter's average of 9.45 assists per set ranks second in the conference. Tori Glynn and Chelsea Ziolkowski have also started all 12 matches for the Cougars, while libero Megan Semeniuk is tied with Ates for the team lead with 90 digs on the year.

In their second Canada West season, UBC Okanagan (7-5) comes into the weekend ranked No. 9 in the CIS and tied for fifth in the conference standings. The Heat's offence is controlled by rookie setter Emily Oxland, who averages 8.53 assists per set and also leads the team with 90 digs. Oxland's main targets are outside hitters Alexandra Basso and Myrte Schon, while second-year middle Katy Klomps is hitting .306 for the season and leads the entire CIS with 62 blocks.

This weekend's matches mark the first of a four-match homestand for the Cougars, as they're back at home next Friday and Saturday against Mount Royal.

Men's Preview
The Cougars (2-10) had an extremely challenging first half of the conference schedule, as they've already faced the top four teams in the Canada West standings. Now back in conference play, the Cougars will look to get back on the winning track against a UBC Okanagan team searching for its first Canada West victory of the season.

It was a bit of a volatile first half for the Cougars, as injuries and eligibility issues meant that head coach Greg Barthel used 10 different players in starting roles during the semester. Rhodri Simmonds had to sit out the first four matches of the season due to his participation with an Australian club team last year, but has collected 62 kills, a team-leading .239 hitting percentage, and 31 blocks since stepping into the lineup. Simmonds also ranks second in Canada West in aces per set, as he's blasted 10 service aces in 29 sets played.

Despite missing the first two matches of the season with an injury, second-year right side Andrew Nelson leads the team with 92 kills as he and Andrew Borgeaud have (74 kills) have been setter Caleb Eschbach's top options on the outside. Eschbach is averaging 7.98 assists per set, while second-year libero Jacques Borgeaud leads the Cougars with 107 digs and middle Marco Vargas has collected a team-high 38 blocks.

UBC Okanagan (0-12) remains winless but had their best performance of the season in the final two matches before the December break, taking a set off No. 2-ranked Trinity Western on Nov. 30 and forcing the Spartans to scramble for a comeback five-set victory the following day after the Heat opened up the match with wins in the first two sets.

The Heat rely heavily on outside hitters Riley McFarland and Greg Niemantsverdriet, as the duo has accounted for over half of the team's total attacks. McFarland has 110 kills and a .152 hitting percentage, while Niemantsverdriet has collected 96 kills on the season. Rookie setter Kristof Schlagintweit controls UBC Okanagan's offence, while second-year libero Jeremy Fostvelt ranks fourth in Canada West with an average of 3.03 digs per set.

Live webcasts for all four matches will be available at www.canadawest.tv.