KELOWNA, B.C. –
Teo Ardanaz and
Zach van Geel both set new career highs for kills and assists in a match respectively to lead the UBCO Heat men's volleyball team to a tight five-set match victory on Graduating Seniors day Saturday afternoon at The Furnace.
On a day in which they celebrated their lone graduating senior
Keatan Mann of Ladner, B.C., the Heat found themselves down two sets to one before mounting their comeback.
The fourth set was close through the majority, but after two quick timeouts by the Griffins, the Heat's lead had increased to 19-16 and would be held until the end of the set, with the final three points being blocks by
Thys Weststrate of Kelowna, B.C., two of which were shared with van Geel.
With the 25-20 fourth set win, the Heat forced the Griffins into a fifth set which would be led by UBCO all the way to the 15-10 finish. Ardanaz would be a critical piece in the Heat attack in this set, opening up the scoring with a kill and adding back-to-back kills later in the set to give the Heat a solid four-point lead.
The fourth-year middle would finish the afternoon with a career-best 13 kills, one of three members of the Heat to hit that number on the day, along with
Renn Petryk of Edmonton and
Lucas Woelders of Langley, B.C.
TOP PERFORMERS
Zach van Geel – UBCO
The 6-5 setter from Calgary would break his previous career-high for most assists in a single match, totaling 48 assists compared to his previous best of 43 in a match against the TRU Wolfpack in November of 2022. van Geel also added three kills, five blocks, and 14 digs in the 6.5-point match.
Mitchel Gorman – GMU
The Grand Prairie, Alta., native would lead his team in the losing effort, adding 16 kills, three blocks, and two service aces for a combined total of 19.5 points.
WHERE THEY SIT
The Heat's record improves to 7-15 on the season as they remain two games back of the final playoff berth in Canada West with two games remaining. The Griffins' record falls to 4-18 on the season.
UP NEXT
The Heat will hit the road for their final regular season matchups next weekend, facing off against the Alberta Golden Bears on Friday and Saturday night. The games are set to begin at 6:30 p.m. Pacific on Friday and 4 p.m. Pacific on Saturday and all action can be watched live on Canada West TV.
