Box Score KELOWNA B.C. - Playing hard for their three graduating seniors, Sara McCreary, Sadie Taylor-Parks and Mackenzie Wallace, the UBC Okanagan Heat women's volleyball team nearly upset the top-ranked Trinity Western Spartans in their regular season finale but ultimately fell in five sets (17-25, 25-21, 25-20, 11-25, 8-15) on Saturday afternoon.
The Trinity Western Spartans found an early lead in the first set at The Furnace as Olivia Heinen recorded an early three point serving streak while adding two assists to help create a eight point gap between the two teams. The Heat slowly grew momentum late in the match with four fantastic serves from Amaya Perry of Chin, Alta., and two kills from Natalie Funk of Strathmore, Alta., however, the Spartans' gap and technical errors allowed them to take the set, 25-17.
Using the energy built up from the end of the first-set, Funk scored two kills early in the second set for the Heat followed by a kill and seven serves from the senior middle Taylor-Parks of Kelowna, B.C. The Spartans attack was shut down by Sydney Grills of Vancouver, B.C., as she recorded three blocks and returned three kills in the set leading the Heat to take the first of two set wins on the afternoon.
Riding the momentum of the set win, the Heat continued to pour it on in the third set, led by Kendall Stephan of Springwater, Ont. Coming off the bench for UBCO, she put down four kills and three digs in the set as the Heat grabbed a 2-1 lead and moved within one set of knocking off the top-ranked Spartans.
However, Trinity Western showed their experience and talent in the fourth set as they built an early lead thanks to three kills and two aces from Meaghan Mealey of Calgary, which allowed the Spartans to regain their first set momentum to take the set 25-11.
The Spartans' energy took over the game in the final set as Mealey and Mikayla Bentreud of Sherwood Park, Alta., nailed a pair of crucial kills to give the visitors the game in five sets.
The graduating seniors, Sara McCreary and Sadie Taylor-Parks both played a huge part in the Heat's success in the contest. McCreary alone scored 26 assists along with two service ases. Alongside McCreary, Taylor-Parks nailed seven kills, a service3 ace and four digs with a .429 hitting percentage.
Bentreud was a difference maker for Trinity Western, scoring a career-high 14 kills, as well as three blocks and a service ace for the Spartans while Avery Heppell, a fourth year from Langley B.C., recorded seven kills, seven blocks and an ace against the Heat.
With the loss, the Heat wrap up their season with an 8-8 record while the Spartans finish at 15-1.
UBCO will now move onto the playoffs as the third seed out of the Canada West West division. They will travel to Saskatoon to face the Saskatchewan Huskies, Mount Royal Cougars and Manitoba Bisons for a mini tournament in Round 1 of the postseason. The top two teams out of the group will move on while the bottom two teams will be eliminated.
Stay tuned to GoHeat.ca for complete playoff information and all action can be seen live on CanadaWest.tv presented by Co-op.
