EDMONTON -Â The UBC Okanagan Heat men's volleyball team put together one of their most complete performances of the year in their season finale as they defeated the MacEwan Griffins in four sets (25-20, 25-17, 23-25, 25-22) on Saturday afternoon.
The Heat came to play right from the opening serve as they overwhelmed the Griffins in the opening two frames.Â
Thys Weststrate, the second-year middle from Kelowna, B.C., played an instrumental part in getting the Heat off to a hot start and he would finish the match with ten kills, beating his previous career high of nine, while hitting a whopping .714 percent. That mark represents the third highest hitting percentage in a single game in UBCO history.
In the third set of the match, the Griffins would find a way to extend the night's proceedings, as they looked to rally on a night they celebrated their graduating seniors.
Following the set back, the Heat came back in full force in the fourth set. Fighting past the tight scoring in the early minutes, Seba Manuel of Kelowna, B.C., would be the push the visiting team needed to succeed. Manuel would finish the match with 17 kills, a new career-high, as the Heat worked to ensure the match would finish in the fourth set.
At the end of the day, the Griffins were unable to match the Heat's efficient hitting performance, a season-best .382 percent, as they closed out their season with a four-set victory.
TOP PERFORMERS
Seba Manuel - UBCO Heat
In his final match of the season, the second-year outside set a new career high in kills earning a total of 17 accompanied by six digs and a .593 hitting percentage.
Mitchell Gorman - MacEwan Griffins
The fourth-year outside led his team's efforts to capture the third set win, and finished the match with 17 kills to close out the season along with ten digs and an assist.
SENIOR SENDOFF
The win was extra special for UBCO as they were able to send longtime captain Teo Ardanaz of Tsawwassen, B.C., out with a win in his final game with the blue and gold. In his final game with the Heat, the graduating fifth-year senior posted two kills and two blocks, capping off one of the most decorated careers in Heat history.
