The Bobcat volleyball teams will try to take advantage of a top-heavy home schedule to start the 2018-19 Canada West season.

Brandon has back-to-back home dates at the Healthy Living Centre to open conference play with their first matches on Friday, October 19 against the Saskatchewan Huskies.

The Bobcats get a bye the next weekend before their second set of matches against the UBC Thunderbirds on November 2-3. The T-Birds are the defending U SPORTS national men's champions.

"The Canada West schedule will be a grind and taking care of home court is critical if you want to find yourself in a playoff spot at the end of the regular season," said BU men's coach Grant Wilson. "We need to be ready to go to start the schedule, considering our first four matches are at home."

The Calgary Dinos, Trinity Western Spartans, Winnipeg Wesmen and MacEwan Griffins will also travel to Brandon to battle the Bobcats. The matches on November 16 against the Dinos are matinees, giving school groups the chance to catch the Bobcats in action. The School Program Initiative brought over 1,000 students to the HLC last season to cheer on the BU volleyball teams.

"We have excellent competition coming into our gym this season and I am confident each match will bring out the best in us," said BU women's coach Lee Carter. "Playoff spots are so coveted in the conference and we need to play each home game like the post-season has already arrived."

The Bobcat women's team went 10-and-14 last season, while the BU men's team hosted a conference quarter-final series after posting a record of 17-and-7.

IMPORTANT DATES:
October 19 - Season opener at home against Saskatchewan
November 17 - Final home game of first half of season against Calgary
January 4 - First home game of the second half against Trinity Western
February 16 - Final regular season home game against MacEwan
February 21-24 - Canada West Quarter-Finals (Location TBD)
February 28-March 3 - Canada West Semifinals (Location TBD)
March 8 or 9 - Canada West Final (Location TBD)
March 14-17 - U SPORTS Men's National Championship (at Laval)
March 14-17 - U SPORTS Women's National Championship (at Alberta)

photo courtesy Brandon University Athletics