KELOWNA, B.C. - The UBC Okanagan Heat men's volleyball team earned their second consecutive victory on Friday night as they defeated the Mount Royal Cougars in a straight-sets victory, 25-11, 25-20, 28-26, at the UBCO Gymnasium in Kelowna.

As has been the case for much of the season, the Heat middles were dominant once again against Mount Royal Thys Weststrate led the team in total blocks with five and had an impressive hitting percentage of .600, contributing 13.5 points across three games. Ashton South boasted the highest hitting percentage on the team at .800, alongside eight kills and eight digs. Zach Van Geel, who was awarded tonight's Player of the Game, was instrumental with 29 assists and a .400 hitting percentage, also earning three service aces. Seba Manuel made a significant contribution with seven kills and five digs in three appearances.

The first set of the match between UBCO and Mount Royal saw several shifts in momentum. Mount Royal opened the scoring but UBCO quickly responded with South's back-to-back kills. A significant turning point occurred when UBCO went on a scoring streak from 7-7 to 11-7, including kills by  Manuel and Weststrate, prompting a timeout from the Cougars. After the timeout, UBCO maintained control, extending their lead further with a series of errors from Mount Royal and a service ace by Van Geel, ultimately securing the set with a score of 25-11.

The second set began with a back-and-forth exchange of points, with Mount Royal taking an early lead at 6-3, aided by blocks from Cody Hudson and Paul Dionne. The Heat struggled with service errors but managed to close the gap to 9-9 after a ball handling error by Jovan Stepanovic. Mount Royal called a timeout at 12-9, but UBCO responded with a 9-4 run, leveling the score at 18-18. The Heat finished strong with a series of blocks, including a critical block by Weststrate and Lucas Woelders against Stepanovic, securing a 25-20 victory in the set.

In the third set, the Heat secured a 28-26 victory over Mount Royal. The set began with a balanced exchange of points, highlighted by Manuel's kill at the beginning for the home team. Mount Royal briefly pulled ahead with a service ace by Ryan John to make it 6-3. However, Zach Van Geel of UBCO rallied back with consecutive kills and a service ace, tying the score 9-9. The home team managed to maintain a slight edge, even as the visitors tied the game at 24-24, before Weststrate and Manuel delivered decisive kills to clinch the set.

With the win, the Heat (8-7) temporarily vault ahead of the Manitoba Bisons and into sixth place in the Canada West standings. Meanwhile, the Cougars fall to 4-9 and drop to a tie for 11th in the conference.

UBCO will go for the weekend sweep on Saturday, January 25 when the two teams square off once again at the UBCO Gymnasium. Prior to the game, the Heat will honour their lone graduating senior, Aaron Voth, ahead of their final regular season home game.

First serve is set for 4 p.m. and tickets for the game can be purchased at the door on game day.