Manuel came up big for the Heat in their season-opening series in Manitoba as UBCO swept the Bisons. The fourth-year outside hitter produced 32 kills over two games, tops in the conference through the opening week of play, while hitting at .268 percent. He added six block assists, five digs, three assists and one ace, while also being impressive in reception, passing 45 balls with just a single error against the top serving team in the country. His performance helped the Heat earn some revenge on the Bisons after falling to them in two games in last year's play-in round. The results also marked the first time since joining Canada West that the Heat swept their opening road weekend of the year and is the first road sweep for the team since February 2023.
This marks the first time this season, and second time in his career, that Manuel has been named Athlete of the Week.
