REGINA, Sask. — The UBCO Heat women's volleyball team (0-1) dropped their season opener on Friday night, falling in straight sets 25-12, 25-12, 25-22 to the Regina Cougars (2-1). 

Kirsten Hill led the attack with eight kills on 21 attempts, adding one assist. Hill's eight kills were a new career high for the third-year outside hitter. 

Kylan Finseth facilitated the offence for the Heat with 18 assists, while also contributing two service aces.  Natalie Funk was effective at the net, recording five kills and four total blocks, including one solo block. Marija Josipovic added five kills and one service ace to her performance, finishing with 6.5 points.

Samantha Krausher led Regina with 15.0 points, securing 14 kills while rookie Anna Schultz made an impact at the service line, delivering four aces. 

The Heat opened the first set with a strong start, securing the initial point through a kill by Funk. Despite early exchanges, Regina took control with a sustained serving run by Schultz. UBCO called two timeouts in an attempt to disrupt Regina's momentum but struggled to regain control.

Hill and Josipovic contributed with key plays, including a service ace and kills, which helped UBCO narrow the gap to 15-8. However, Regina capitalized on their advantage and closed the set at 25-12.

UBCO encountered a challenging second set, struggling to maintain momentum despite several key plays. After trailing 2-0, Hill delivered a kill to bring the score to 2-1. Hill and Josipovic each added kills tying the score at 3-3. However, Regina responded with a series of points, pushing their lead to 6-3 before the Heat called a timeout.

Despite efforts to regain control, including a block by Funk and Korey Jenkins at 10-5, Regina maintained their advantage through efficient scoring and the set concluded with Regina winning 25-12.

UBCO initiated the third set with a strong start, highlighted by Finseth's back-to-back service aces that pushed them to a 3-1 early lead. Despite Regina's efforts to counter, UBCO maintained momentum with key plays, including a kill by Madison Gardner assisted by Finseth, putting UBCO ahead at 13-9. However, Regina mounted a significant comeback, overtaking UBCO and leading 16-13.

In a tightly contested sequence, UBCO regained composure, leveling the score at 18-18 following effective blocks by Funk and Rachel Rosser. Regina responded with a late surge and despite UBCO's resilient efforts, closed the set at 25-22. 

The two teams will rematch to close out the weekend doubleheader on Saturday, October 25.The match is set to begin at 5 p.m. and can be seen live on CanadaWest.tv presented by BioSteel.