PREVIEW: Huskies Ready to Play the Underdog in Quarter-Final Series at Top-Seeded UFV

SASKATOON, Sask. – For just the second time in program history, the University of Saskatchewan (USask) Huskie women’s volleyball team and the Fraser Valley Cascades will square off in Canada West action. Unlike their first meeting back in the 2022-23 regular season, this weekend’s contest carries slightly higher stakes as the two teams look to book their ticket to the Canada West Final Four with a win in their best-of-three quarter-final series.
 

HUSKIE WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL

Canada West Playoffs | Quarter-Final Series
Saskatchewan Huskies (10-10, No. 8-seed) vs Fraser Valley Cascades (17-3, No. 1-seed)

Game 1 – Friday, February 28, 2025 | 8:00 PM
Game 2 – Saturday, March 1, 2025 | 6:00 PM
Game 3 – Sunday, March 2, 2025 | 3:00 PM *if necessary*
UFV Athletic Centre | Abbotsford, B.C.

CANADAWEST.TV | LIVESTATS | CW PLAYOFF SCHEDULE
 

Thanks to an impressive 2-1 (3-1, 1-3, 3-0) Canada West Play-In Series victory over the Trinity Western Spartans on their home court, the Huskies are set to appear in the conference Quarter-Final round for the first time since the 2019-20 season. In their second trip to the province of British Columbia this year, the Dogs will be playing the underdog as they head into the UFV athletic Centre Friday night for game one against the Fraser Valley Cascades, the conference’s top-seeded team in the 2025 playoffs. 

The Huskies and Cascades have met in just two matches in their respective program histories, a weekend doubleheader in November of the 2022-23 season that weekend saw Fraser Valley earn a series sweep of the Dogs in a pair of tightly-contested matches.

While Saskatchewan will look for a different outcome in their return to Abbotsford, BC, fans taking in this weekend’s quarter-final series should expect another evenly matched series between the two programs. 

While there is a significant difference in both the regular season records and the seeding of the two teams, statistically, they appear similar. Both squads rank among the top 5 teams in the conference in nearly every major statistical category, with the outliers being digs per set for the Huskies (6th, 13.31) and blocks per set for the Cascades (9th, 1.84). Despite Fraser Valley ranking higher in most categories, the Huskies enter the elimination series battle-tested with an opening round series under their belts. Meanwhile, for the Cascades, it will be 13 days since their last match. 

The winner of this weekend’s series will advance to the Canada West Final Four, hosted by the highest remaining seed, while also earning a much-improved chance to represent the conference at the 2025 U SPORTS Championships. Four teams from Canada West will compete at this year’s national tournament, with the Manitoba Bisons locked in as hosts. If the Bisons (No. 3-seed) qualify for the Final Four, the three remaining Canada West teams would all advance to the national championship. However, if Manitoba loses to the MRU Cougars (No. 6-seed) this weekend, the three conference medalists will each advance to the U SPORTS Championships. 
 

Head-to-Head vs UFV
All-Time: 0-2 Cascades
Last 10 Meetings: 0-2 Cascades
Playoff Record: n/a
Last Meeting: Nov. 2022
        Game 1: 19-25, 25-18, 23-25, 26-28 – BOX SCORE 
        Game 2: 25-21, 25-18, 13-25, 16-25, 9-15 – BOX SCORE