LANGLEY, B.C. – The UBC Okanagan Heat women's volleyball open up the 2023 Canada West playoffs this week with a quarter-final showdown against the top-ranked team in Canada, the Trinity Western Spartans.
 
The best-of-three series gets underway on Thursday, February 23 at the Langley Events Centre with first serve set for 6 p.m. live on Canada West TV.

Game two is set for Friday, February 24 at 6 p.m. and game three, if necessary, will be played on Saturday, February 25 at 5 p.m.
 
The Heat and Spartans head into their first round series as two of the hottest teams in the conference. UBCO has won five consecutive games heading into the playoffs, including three five-set victories, one of which was over the nationally-ranked UFV Cascades.
 
Meanwhile, the Spartans have won nine straight games but have been on cruise control for the last number of weeks, as their last six wins came against basement dwellers in the conference.
 
If last year's playoffs are any indication, in which the Heat advanced to the second round, the Spartans can expect to see a heavy dose of outside hitters Sydney Grills of Vancouver, B.C., and Jade Bussard of Red Deer, Alta., over the three-game series.
 
Grills heads into the series as arguably the best statistical player on either team. The 6-3 opposite set a new Heat record for most kills in a season with 296 this year, and combined with her blocking prowess, averaged 4.03 points per set, sixth-best in all of Canada West.
 
Bussard compliments her talented teammate as a powerful attacker in her own right after she eclipsed 200-plus kills for the second time in her career this past season. Bussard finished the year with 203 kills to go along with 107 digs.
 
A player to keep an eye on in the series for the Heat will be middle Natalie Funk of Strathmore, Alta. Funk quietly put together an impressive sophomore campaign as she ranked third in the conference in blocks per set at 1.09 while 0.40 aces per set was tied for eighth best in Canada West.
 
The winner of the quarter-final series will advance to face either the Winnipeg Wesmen or the UFV Cascades in the Canada West semifinals next week.