EDMONTON – The UBC Okanagan Heat men's volleyball team fought hard on Friday night against the U SPORTS No. 1-ranked Alberta Golden Bears, taking a set off the top team in the country, but the Heat ultimately fell in four sets at the Saville Centre.
The first set would be controlled by the Golden Bears all the way though, finishing with a 25-12 lead.
Moving into the second set, the Heat would battle their way to an 11-11 tie, thanks to back-to-back kills from
Renn Petryk of Edmonton, who was playing in his hometown, and
Lucas Woelders (Langley, B.C.). Once the Heat were able to even the scoring, the set would continue in their favour as they lead by as many as eight points, 23-15. The Heat would shut down the set, 25-18, from Petryk's fifth kill of the set, assisted by
Zach van Geel (Calgary, Alta.), to even the match at a set apiece.
The Heat would carry the momentum into the beginning of the third set as Woelders and Petryk would once again be key pieces in the Heat's attack, keeping the Golden Bears within a few points until they would pull away to secure the set 25-18.
The fourth set would favour the home squad for the majority of the play as they secured the win with a 25-15 score.
TOP PERFORMERS
Renn Petryk – UBCO
The 6-5 outside hitter led the charge against the top ranked Golden Bears squad, tallying 12 kills, one service ace, and one dig in front of his hometown crowd.
Jordan Canham – Alberta
Leading the Golden Bears in tonight's match would be the 6-5 outside hitter from Avonmore, Ont., as he finished the match with 21 points. He would total six service aces, three blocks, and 13 kills for a .476 hitting percent.
WHERE THEY SIT
The Heat's record drops to 7-16 on the season as they are officially eliminated from Canada West playoff contention, as they sit two games out of eighth place in the conference with just one game remaining. As for Alberta, they improve to 21-2 on the season.
UP NEXT
The two teams will meet up again at 4 p.m. PT on Saturday for the final match of the regular season. All action can be watched live on Canada West TV.
