KELOWNA, B.C - The UBC Okanagan Heat women's volleyball team fell to their U SPORTS No. 2 ranked sister-school, the UBC Thunderbirds, in straight sets (18-25, 22-25, 22-25) on Saturday evening at the UBCO Gymnasium.
After an exhilarating five-set match on Friday night, the Heat came out firing and grabbed an early lead thanks to two consecutive kills courtesy of Olivia Tymkiw, the third-year hitter from Coldstream, B.C. However, the Thunderbirds would respond and capped off the set with a 13-4 run, highlighted by a five-point serving streak from Trinity Solecki to capture the opening set.
UBC would jump out in front in the second set thanks to three kills from Emma Doyon. However, the Heat showed their resiliency as they battled back late in the frame, thanks to a serving run from
Amaya Perry of Chin, Alta., including a pair of service aces. The Thunderbirds would ultimately hold off UBCO as they captured the second set 25-22.
Looking to extend the match, the Heat got off to another strong start in the third set, highlighted by a 6-0 run thanks to a strong serving run from Hellen Lacava of Mandaguari, Brazil. UBC would chip away at the lead and jumped ahead thanks to a run of their own. The set would remain close late but ultimately, UBC came out on top to take the win.
Following the game, Heat head coach
Steve Manuel praised his team's performance over the weekend doubleheader.Â
"I believe we took another step forward with our development this weekend. We had a very long break and we are dealing with a couple of key injuries along with a nasty case of the flu going through the team. But I couldn't be more proud of how the group rallied this weekend and battled against the team that is expected to repeat as National Champions."
TOP PERFORMERS
Amaya Perry - UBCO
The fourth-year outside hitter from Chin, Alta., would be a stand-out performer for the Heat as she returned from illness to notch two serving aces and four kills
Akash Grewal - UBC
The third-year outside hitter and product of Vancouver, led a balanced Thunderbirds attack on Saturday, finishing with seven kills and a team-best 9.5 points.
WHERE THEY SIT
With the setback, the Heat drop to 5-9 on the season and sit in a tie for ninth in the Canada West standings. As for UBC, they improve to 13-1 on the season as they remain in top spot in the conference.
UP NEXT
UBCO will be back home next weekend as they get set to host the Calgary Dinos on Friday and Saturday night. First serve on Friday, January 12 is set for 5 p.m. at the UBCO Gymnasium and tickets for the game can be purchased at the door.
