PREVIEW: Huskies Set Sights on Edmonton for Canada West Final Four

SASKATOON, Sask. – For the first time since the 2000-01 season, the University of Saskatchewan (USask) Huskies are set make a Canada West Semifinals appearance. The Dogs are headed to Edmonton, Alberta, with the Alberta Pandas set to host the remaining four teams in the conference playoffs in a single-elimination championship tournament. 
 

HUSKIE WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL

Friday, March 7, 2025 | 5:00 PM
Saville Sports Centre | Edmonton, Alta.

CANADAWEST.TV | LIVESTATS | CW PLAYOFF SCHEDULE
 

This Friday (Mar. 7), the Saskatchewan Huskies will look to take their remarkable playoff run to the next level as they square off with the two-time reigning national champion UBC Thunderbirds for a spot in the Canada West Championship game.

Friday’s Canada West Semifinal will mark the first meeting between the two teams since February of last year, when UBC took two straight-set wins in Saskatoon. The Huskies, though, will likely avoid the history books, which heavily favour the perennial U SPORTS contender Thunderbirds. Saskatchewan has beaten the T-Birds twice in the last decade and three times since 2000. 

This year’s edition of the Huskie women’s volleyball team has both the talent and firepower to break that trend. While the Dogs may be the eighth seed in the 2025 Canada West playoffs, the stats say otherwise as Saskatchewan ranks among the conference’s best teams in nearly every major statistical category. When it comes to Friday’s matchup, the Huskies finished the regular season ahead of the Thunderbirds in kills per set (12.65 to 12.00), digs per set (13.31 to 12.14), and blocks per set (2.14 to 2.09).

Unsurprisingly, the semifinal also features plenty of talent, with six All-Stars featured between the two teams. Leading Saskatchewan is third-year outside hitter Taryn Hannah, one of the most productive players in the conference this season, which led to the first All-Star nod of her career in 2024-25. Hannah finished the campaign third in Canada West in both points (322.0), kills (272) and tied ninth-place for aces with 32. For the Thunderbirds, First Team All-Star Lucy Borowski leads the team in points (265.5), kills (210), and hitting percentage (.278). 

Both teams boast impressive depth as well, with five members of Saskatchewan surpassing the 100-point mark in 2024-25 in Hannah, Rosetta Cyr (212.0), Jessica Bergstrom (256.0), Keely Anderson (142.5), and Ella Milne (130.5). UBC, meanwhile, has four players over 100 and three over 200, with Borowski, Akash Grewal (252.0), Trinity Solecki (206.0), and Emelie Silovs (109.0) leading the team. 

The winner of Friday’s semifinal will advance to the Canada West Championship game, set to be played on Saturday, March 8, at 8:00 PM at the Saville Sports Centre, and take on the winner of Manitoba and Alberta. In the conference’s Bronze Medal Match, the two losing teams will square off at 5:00 PM on Saturday.

Following the Canada West Final Four, all four teams will then turn their attention to the national stage and the U SPORTS Championships, which will take place in Winnipeg, Manitoba, from March 13-16, 2025.
 

Head-to-Head vs UBC
All-Time: 20-89 T-Birds
Last 10 Meetings: 1-9 T-Birds
Playoff Record: 6-8 T-Birds
Last Playoff Meeting: Lost to UBC 2-1 in 2000 CW Semifinals
Last Reg. Season Meeting: 0-2 (Feb. 2024)