Drills instead of sparring

I had a great time at training last night! We went through the spider guard sweeps again and instead of doing drills, the guys went straight to sparring. I waited it out first and did drills with Mig and Marc. I'm really enjoying playing guard- its such a challenge! You're always on your toes (or on your back/side, haha) and have to be 2-3 moves ahead of your opponent. I practiced my dela riva, seated half and spider on Mig and then with Marc, I did passing. I feel like I'm learning so much more doing drills rather than sparring. However, I'm going to need to start sparring again soon to practice for the competition. I'll need to work on my takedowns too! Hopefully the gym will be available this Saturday so we can have an open mat session. Must work on my BJJ!!