KELOWNA, B.C. – The UBC Okanagan Heat women's volleyball team will open up their 2022-23 Canada West regular season schedule on Friday as they travel to Regina to take on the Regina Cougars for a pair of weekend clashes.
First serve is set for 5 p.m. (PT) at the Centre of Kinesiology, Health & Sport and can be seen live on
Canada West TV.
The Heat head into the 2022-23 campaign as one of the early favourites in the conference after they were
ranked fourth in the preseason coaches' poll. Head coach
Steve Manuel's squad features a deep and talented roster that progressed to the second round of the Canada West playoffs a season ago and will be looking to build upon that success this year.
Manuel, who is entering his 22nd season at the helm of the program, has his team playing well heading into the regular season as the Heat were a perfect 7-0 in non-conference play. The team won the Gee-Gees Preseason Classic at the beginning of the month, posting five wins, including an impressive 3-1 win over the Montreal Carabins in the final.
Following the tournament, opposite
Sydney Grills of Vancouver, fresh off a stint with the national team this summer, was named the tournament MVP while former U SPORTS Rookie of the Year
Amaya Perry of Chin, Alta., was name a tournament all-star.
The Heat will be opening their season against a Cougars squad that went 5-11 a season ago playing in the Canada West East division and are ranked 13
th in the preseason coaches' poll.
Regina is being led by first-year interim head coach Lee Hamilton and will be relying upon second year outside hitter Bailey Balaberda of Regina, to lead their attack this season.
With the season set to get underway, here are the storylines to follow with this year's edition of the Heat:
SYDNEY GRILLS
The senior opposite returns for her third year of eligibility with the Heat and is poised to be one of the top players in the conference this season. Grills spent the summer building her impressive skill set with the Canadian national team and has looked good early on in non-conference action.
A year ago, the 6-3 arts major was named a Canada West second-team all-star after finishing eighth in the conference in kills with 191 and total blocks with 49. Her 3.24 kills per set was the second most ever by a Heat player in a single season while her 3.9 points per set set a school record.
Look for Grills to take everything she learned on the international stage and translate it into a dominant season for UBCO.
VETERAN DEPTH
Grills isn't the only weapon that the Heat possess as the team is deep at every position across the board.
On the outsides, the Heat will also role out Perry, fourth-year
Jade Bussard of Red Deer, Alta.,
Kendall Stephan of Springwater, Ont.,
Olivia Tymkiw of Coldstream, B.C., as well as
Hellen Luvizetti Lacava of Mandaguari, Brazil, who shifts back to outside hitter after spending last year at libero.
Speaking of libero, the Heat added fifth-year veteran
Hali Drezet of Prince George, B.C., to their starting lineup. Last season, she played professionally in Sweden after wrapping up her time with the Thompson Rivers WolfPack.
In the middle, two young talents will be patrolling the net for the Heat as reigning Canada West rookie of the year
Madelyn Hettinga of Kelowna, B.C., and
Natalie Funk of Strathmore, Alta., will make their presence felt.
And setting up all that talent will be setters
Abigail Dueck of Winnipeg, and
Rayn Perry of Chin, Alta.
It will make for a happy problem for head coach
Steve Manuel as he determines his rotations on a nightly basis.
COMPETING WITH THE BEST
A year ago, the Heat struggled against the teams who ended up as the top four in the conference, posting a combined 2-9 record against Trinity Western, Alberta, Mount Royal and UBC in the regular season and playoffs.
If the Heat want to back up their preseason ranking and take that next step forward, they will need to make it a priority to raise their level of play in those big games to solidify themselves as true contenders for the conference crown.
