The UBC Thunderbirds men's volleyball team, with Courtenay's Joel Regehr in the lineup, concludes a three-game non-conference series today in California.
UBC takes on Long Beach State University, home of the 49ers, on Jan. 2 at 5 p.m. at Walter Pyramid. The 49ers are ranked fourth in the NCAA's top division of men's volleyball and garnered one first-place vote in the preseason coaches' poll released last week.
UBC, the third-ranked team in the CIS, also faced the Pepperdine University Waves (rated sixth in the American Volleyball Coaches Association Division I-II Men's Coaches Top 15 Preseason Poll) on Dec. 29 and Dec. 31. Both games were played at Firestone Fieldhouse in Malibu, Calif.
"It's a great opportunity to get some top-notch competition against two of the top teams in the United States, where we have the three matches to stay sharp," said UBC head coach Richard Schick prior to the trip. "It's going to be a good test for us."
In between the matches, the players got to visit some of the attractions in the area, such as Disneyland and Universal Studios. The team also attended the Pepperdine-Brigham Young NCAA men's basketball game on Dec. 30.
UBC is currently in second place in the Canada West conference standings, with a record of 9-3. After the California trip, the T-Birds will open the second half of league play with a visit to Kelowna to face UBC Okanagan in a two-game set Jan. 10-11.
Regehr, a Mark Isfeld grad, is a 6',7" first-year middle with the Thunderbirds. He is studying kinesiology.