KELOWNA, B.C. - The UBC Okanagan Heat women's volleyball team secured a crucial weekend split with the Calgary Dinos thanks to a straight set victory (25-23, 25-11, 25-23) on Saturday night at the UBCO Gymnasium.
Kicking off the night, Olivia Tymkiw, the third-year outside hitter from Coldstream, B.C., proved her prowess as Friday night's player of the game, taking on an early four-point serving streak as well as adding five kills to the Heat tally. Despite the Heat's early push, the Dinos posed a challenge, securing a late string of points but the Heat would hold, thanks to a late kill from Tymkiw to take the opening frame.
The second set was all UBCO. With the set tied at 11, UBCO went on an incredible run, thanks to some strong serving from Tymkiw, and some impressive blocking, anchored by middle
Natalie Funk of Strathmore, Alta. The Heat would score the final 14 points of the set to grab a two set lead over the visitors.
Calgary would come out strong to start the third set until Funk put down a massive block followed by a kill, courtesy of Abigail Dueck of Winnipeg, Man., to send the Dinos to a timeout and string momentum for the Heat. Following the mid-set timeout, the Heat would take over the match and add three more serving aces to the Heat tally to claim the set and the match.
TOP PERFORMERS
Abigail Dueck - UBCO
The third-year outside hitter hailing from Winnipeg, would be the player of the game for UBCO, finding a match-high of 27 assists, a kill, a serving ace and two blocks, contributing to the Heat's efforts on Saturday evening.
Daisy Olson - Calgary
The second-year outside hitter and product of Airdrie, Alta., would once again be a dominant player for the Dinos, nailing nine kills and two serving aces for Calgary.
WHERE THEY SIT
The win was a big one for the Heat as they move back even on points with the Winnipeg Wesmen, tied for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Canada West standings with a 6-10 record. They also pull back to one game behind the Dinos, who drop to 7-9 on the season.
UP NEXT
UBCO will return to the court next weekend, beginning on Friday, January 19th, for another important weekend of action as they take on the Thompson Rivers WolfPack in the annual Presidents' Cup competition. First whistle is set for 5:30 p.m. in Kamloops and fans can catch the game live on CanadaWest.tv.
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