LANGLEY, B.C. – The UBC Okanagan Heat men's volleyball team took a set off the U SPORTS No. 4-ranked Trinity Western Spartans on Friday night before falling in four sets (25-17, 18-25, 22-25, 15-25) at the Langley Events Centre.
The Heat got off to a strong start in the match as they were the more consistent of the two teams in the opening frame. UBCO hit .269 compared to the Spartans -0.94 and allowed the Heat to slowly build a lead throughout the set. Leading 18-11, the Heat would win their next seven points on Trinity Western errors to claim the set win.
Trinity Western would respond in the second as they opened with a 10-2 run and never looked back as they evened the match at a set apiece.
The third set was a back-and-forth affair as they two teams looked to claim the lead in the match. UBCO would go up 21-20 late in the frame on a kill from
Seba Manuel of Kelowna, B.C., but the Spartans dug deep and won five of the next six points to go up two sets to one.
In the fourth set, a 9-3 run by the hosts early in the set allowed them to take control of the frame and the Spartans would cruise from there to take the victory.
Ashton South of Calgary had a strong night for the Heat as he had seven kills to just one error on 11 attacks, along with five blocks for a 10-point night. Manuel would add 11 kills, three digs and three blocks to post a team-best 12.5 points.
Two members of the Spartans finished with 10-plus kills on the night, led by Piers de Greeff's (Victoria) 12 while Kaden Schmidt of Mississauga, Ont., added 11.
The loss drops the Heat's record to 3-2 on the season as they sit tied for fifth-place in the conference while the Spartans improve to 5-2, good for third overall.
The Heat will look to bounce back and earn a weekend split when the two teams' rematch on Saturday, November 16. First serve is set for 6 p.m. and the game can be seen live on CanadaWest.tv presented by BioSteel.
