Canada West Women's Rugby Sevens Series, Tournament #2
Saturday, Feb. 12: Cascades vs. Victoria, 11:06 a.m.; Cascades vs. Calgary, 1:24 p.m.; Cascades vs. Lethbridge, 4:04 p.m.
Sunday, Feb. 13: Crossover playoff games (10-11:30 a.m.); Placing games (1:2:30 p.m.)
Victoria, B.C.
Webcast: CanadaWest.tv presented by Co-op

THE TOURNAMENT

The Cascades women's rugby sevens squad tastes its first Canada West conference action of the season, as they head to the provincial capital for the second tourney on the CW Women's Rugby Sevens Series.

The event marks the CW coaching debut of Alisah McPhee, who took the reins of the club after founding head coach Jen Ross moved to Victoria to pursue new professional opportunities last fall.

Sophomore captain Kira Katan leads the way on the field for McPhee's squad, which also gets strong leadership from fellow veteran Cheye Gustafson. Among the intriguing newcomers, Hannah Bilmer brings great speed and athleticism, while Juliana Carter is a "bull in a china shop", in McPhee's words, who simply gets things done.

PLAYER TO WATCH

Kira Katan, UFV – The Cascades' captain is a triple threat according to her head coach – speedy, smart and strong. The Mission, B.C. product reads the game well offensively and defensively, and she's already risen to fourth place on the club's all-time list for tries (seven) and points (37).

QUOTABLE

"It's definitely integral to our growth, getting game experience and being in there to improve ourselves. Having a small squad isn't always the easiest, but we're definitely looking forward to it. We're as ready as we can be, and we're excited." – Alisah McPhee, looking ahead to the UVic tourney

"This year has definitely been a rebuilding year, but we have a group of girls who are willing to lay it on the line for each other. The heart is there. I think we'll have to start with small steps and small victories – really commit to the tackle and drive everybody back. We're not expecting to blow out any teams, but we definitely don't want to be blown out. Defence is where we're really working, to shut everything down." – McPhee, on the outlook for her squad