Cougar Athletics This Weekend

Home Events
Women's Volleyball – vs. Saskatchewan, Thursday (6:15 p.m.) at CKHS
Men's Volleyball – vs. Saskatchewan, Thursday (8:00 p.m.) at CKHS
Women's Basketball – vs. Saskatchewan, Saturday (6:15 p.m.) at CKHS
Men's Basketball – vs. Saskatchewan, Saturday (8:00 p.m.) at CKHS

Away Events
Women's Wrestling – at Hargobind International, Friday in Burnaby, B.C.
Rams Football – at Calgary, Friday (7:00 p.m.) in Calgary, Alta.
Women's Volleyball – at Saskatchewan, Saturday (6:00 p.m.) in Saskatoon, Sask.
Men's Volleyball – at Saskatchewan, Saturday (8:00 p.m.) in Saskatoon, Sask.

Women's Basketball (CIS Ranking: No. 1) – The first CIS Top Ten of the season was released Tuesday, and the Cougars – who defeated Cape Breton, Calgary, and Windsor last weekend at the non-conference Calgary Fall Classic – were ranked No. 1 in the country for the first time since 2004. The team opens up the Canada West schedule this Saturday at home with a big early-season matchup against No. 4 Saskatchewan. Tip-off is scheduled for 6:15 p.m. at the CKHS.

Men's Basketball – Connor Burns' big double-double helped the Cougars finish up their non-conference schedule with a 90-69 win over Williston State College on Thursday at the CKHS. They'll start Canada West action this Saturday at the CKHS against No. 3 Saskatchewan. Game time is scheduled for 8 p.m. following the conclusion of the women's game.

Women's Volleyball – The Cougars (0-2) opened the Canada West schedule last weekend with a pair of home losses to No. 1-ranked UBC. They'll continue conference play at home on Thursday against Saskatchewan at the CKHS with first serve scheduled for 6:15 p.m. The two teams will also play on Saturday in Saskatoon.

Men's Volleyball – The Cougars (0-2) won the first set of the weekend over No. 5 UBC last Friday, but the Thunderbirds took control from there to open the conference schedule with 3-1 and 3-0 wins over the U of R. The team will host Saskatchewan on Thursday night at the CKHS and the provincial rivals will also square off on Saturday at the U of S.

Rams Football – The Rams (3-5) came out on top on Saturday in a must-win road game at Manitoba, holding on for a 31-22 win over the Bisons to qualify for the Canada West postseason. The Rams finish in fourth place in the conference standings and will travel to Calgary for a Friday night semifinal game against the No. 2-ranked Dinos.

Women's Wrestling – The Cougars return to the mat this Friday at the Hargobind Internationl in Burnaby, B.C. Danielle Anderson, Rihab Birama, and Kristine Longeau will all represent the U of R at the meet. After the Hargobind, the Cougars have a pair of weekends off before returning to action at the Huskie Open in Saskatoon on Nov. 26.

Women's Hockey – The Cougars (3-3-0) came up with a big four-point road weekend at UBC, winning 4-3 in a shootout on Friday and 3-0 on Saturday in a game which marked the first career shutout for rookie goalie Jennifer Schmidt. The team returns to the ice on Nov. 11 and Nov. 12 with a pair of road games at Calgary.

Men's Hockey – The Cougars (2-5-1) pulled into a tie for sixth place in the Canada West standings after grabbing three out of a possible four points last weekend against UBC at The Co-operators Centre. Friday's game saw Matt Strueby score twice in a 5-1 win over Thunderbirds, but UBC salvaged a split with a 3-2 overtime win on Saturday. The Cougars have this weekend off before hosting Calgary on Nov. 11 and Nov. 12.

Women's Soccer – The Cougars (1-10-3) finished the 2011 season with a 1-0 loss to Saskatchewan and a scoreless draw with No. 9-ranked Alberta, with Michelle Anderson and Stephanie Possberg sharing the shutout on Sunday against the Pandas. The team graduates four fifth-year players including Anderson, Tiffany Gyurek, Tegan Koroluk, and Dana Renneberg.

Cross Country (Men's CIS Ranking: No. 9) – The Cougars competed at the Stewart Cup on Saturday in Edmonton. Iain Fyfe and Matt Johnson finished three-four to led the U of R on the men's side, while Karissa LePage's ninth-place finish paced the women's team. Both the men's and the women's squads will now prepare for the 2011 CIS Championships, which will be hosted by Université Laval on Nov. 12.

Swimming – Jessica Winter led the Cougars with three first-place finishes at the Goldfin Invitational over the weekend in Saskatoon, winning the 200-metre and 400-metre freestyles. Her time of 4:27.35 in the 400 was under a second shy of the CIS standard in the event. On the men's side, rookie Chris Myers led the Cougars with a second-place finish in the 100-metre breaststroke. The Cougars return to action on the Nov. 11 weekend at the 2011 Minneapolis Grand Prix.