The stakes couldn't be any higher this week, as the No. 3 nationally ranked Manitoba Bisons welcome the No. 5 ranked Fraser Valley Cascades to IGAC with a spot at nationals, and the Canada West championship game, on the line (click here for tickets).

Manitoba enters the series undefeated at home, at 13-0. Overall, they went 20-4 on the year, the same record as their BC opponent (the Cascades lost one set more than the Bisons), who were the only team to sweep UM this year (on the road).

Over the last two seasons, UFV is 4-0 against Manitoba and they're the only team to top the Herd at home over the last two years.

But those results were a long time ago. Manitoba proceeded to win 11 games in a row after facing UFV this year, en route to the most regular season victories in program history. 

The Cascades enter the Canada West semi-finals for the first time in school history, in just their third year as a Canada West member. Fans can expect to hear the name Attieh spoken often on the PA. The trio of sisters all made a major impact for UFV, with Gabrielle and Lauren named conference all-stars this season. Talia also set a school record with eight aces against UBCO on February 11. 

Overall, the dangerous trio combined for 735 kills, led by Gabrielle -- last year's conference and national Player of the Year -- who was sixth in the conference with 295 kills. Lauren was right behind her, with 268. 

As a team, the Cascades had 170 service aces, which was seventh, just ahead of Manitoba's 162. Canada West All-Star Raya Surinx (who will be a game-time decision with a lower body injury) was fourth in CanWest, with 40 aces, while her 388 kills led the nation. Gabrielle had 35 aces to pace UFV (she recorded 11 in a match while at UBC in 2020), while Talia Attieh had 30, and Andi Almonte of the Bisons had 28. 

In the two team's pair of games earlier this year, UFV won both 3-1 and 3-0, however the Bisons scored at least 20 points in five of seven sets. Surinx led all players with 30 kills over the two matches, while Lauren and Gabrielle Attieh combined for 47.

And while both teams have offensive versatility, the story in both contests, much like it will be this weekend, is defence. 

The Cascades put up 42 assisted blocks, including 28 in a 3-1 victory to open their week two series. Eleven of those blocks came from middle Mo Likness, who led the team with 79 total blocks on the year. The two sides also combined for 241 digs, with eight different players hitting double figures at least once. 

Bisons libero Julia Arnold, a second team all-star, had a team-high 22 digs during game on against UFV, and 33 overall. She led the conference with 347, just ahead of UFV's Emily Matsui, who had a game-high 30 digs in game one against Manitoba, and 326 on the year. These two could be x-factors for their respective sides, while Bisons captain Light Uchechukwu had 12 digs in both of Manitoba's victories over UBCO in the CanWest quarterfinals. 

Without Surinx in the lineup last weekend, five different Manitoba players tallied at least 14 kills, thanks to the vision and accuracy of setter Katreena Bentley, a CanWest first team all-star who led the nation and set a new CanWest single season record with 983 assists. She also had a career-high six assisted blocks last Saturday, while middle Eve Catojo, who led the Herd with 82 blocks, had five assisted.