Thursday, Feb. 7: No. 10 UFV Cascades (12-8, 4th in PACWEST) vs. No. 3 Douglas Royals (14-6, 2nd in PACWEST), 6 p.m., Envision Financial Athletic Centre North Gym
Friday, Feb. 8: Cascades at Royals, 6 p.m., New Westminster B.C.
Webcast: pacwestbc.tv

Last Saturday's loss at Capilano was a costly one for the Cascades, as it knocked them off the pace in the race for third place in the PACWEST. They now trail the Camosun Chargers (13-7) by one game in the loss column. The good news is, they own the head-to-head tiebreaker with Camosun, but they'll need to make up ground over the last four games of the regular season.

The best way for the UFV squad to do that would be to pick up a win (or two) in their home-and-home set this weekend vs. the reigning PACWEST champion Douglas Royals. The Royals sit second in the PACWEST currently, but the Cascades have had some success against them this season. They earned a four-set win over Douglas at home on Nov. 2, and came within a whisker of completing the sweep the next night, dropping a five-set decision in New Westminster.

"That weekend, we were strong offensively, and that's been an area that's been consistent for us," UFV head coach Mike Gilray said, reflecting on that November weekend vs. the Royals. "We need to limit our errors and clean up our side of our court to continue our offence. We need to keep that balanced attack this weekend against Douglas."

Errors at the service line and on the attack were the impetus behind last Saturday's upset defeat at Cap, and Gilray said it's important his team learns from the loss.

"We still scored a lot of points in that game, but we have to limit our errors," he said. "We've got to figure out how to be playing better volleyball this weekend and heading into playoffs as well."

Players to watch: The Cascades were missing third-year middle Hanna Hieltjes due to injury last weekend, but she's expected back in the lineup vs. Douglas. She's among the most effective attackers at her position in the PACWEST, ranking 25th overall in kills (1.15/set) while providing a strong defensive presence at the net. The Royals are led by reigning PACWEST player of the year Vania Oliveira. The Brazilian outside hitter ranks third in the league in total offence (3.38 points/set) and fourth in kills (2.68/set).