SASKATOON, Sask. - The UBC Okanagan Heat women's volleyball team pushed the University of Saskatchewan to four sets on Saturday afternoon but came up short in their bid to extend the match to five sets, dropping their second straight to the Huskies 16-25, 18-25, 27-25, 20-25.
Amaya Perry stood out in the offence for the Heat with a team-high of 15 points, supported by 14 kills, which matched her season-high, and a .303 attack percentage across 33 attempts.
Madison Gardner led the Heat with an impressive attack percentage of .500, recording eight kills with no errors over 16 attempts while
Olivia Tymkiw also had eight kills and a .353 attack percentage, alongside 10 digs, demonstrating her all-around performance.
The Huskies featured several standout players contributing across various statistical categories. Rosetta Cyr led the team with 21 points, boasting an impressive attack percentage of .500, having recorded 20 kills with only three errors on 34 attempts. Taryn Hannah was another key player with 16 points, tallying 15 kills and 13 digs, while maintaining a hitting percentage of .297.
In the first set, the home team started strongly with an early 2-0 lead, capitalized on Keely Anderson's kill. UBCO responded with a service ace from
Olivia Boulding to tie the score at 2-2. Saskatchewan then gained momentum, achieving a crucial run of four consecutive points from 11-11 to 15-11, prompting UBCO to call a timeout. Despite efforts from the Heat, including a kill by Tymkiw, Saskatchewan maintained their lead and secured the set 25-16, highlighted by Anderson's service ace to close the set.
In the second set, Anderson played a pivotal role for the hosts, contributing multiple kills and a service ace, helping extend their early lead to 11-3. Despite a late rally from UBCO, with Gardner and Perry delivering crucial kills to narrow the gap, Saskatchewan maintained their advantage, closing the set at 25-18.
In the third set, Saskatchewan started strong with a three-point lead, capitalizing on a kill by Cyr, reaching a 3-0 advantage. The Heat responded with a kill by Tymkiw, closing the gap to 4-2. Later in the set, UBCO managed to tie the score at 5-5 after a service ace by Boulding. The two teams would trade runs throughout the frame until ultimately, the Huskies found themselves with a 22-18 lead. That was when UBCO mounted a comeback, with Perry's service ace tying the score at 22-22. The Heat eventually closed the set with a 27-25 victory after a series of attack errors from Saskatchewan.
The fourth set saw back-and-forth action, with the teams exchanging points early on. At 6-4, the Heat went on a four-point run, including two kills by Perry, prompting a timeout by the Huskies. Saskatchewan responded with a strong series, tying the score at 7-7 and eventually taking a 19-17 lead. Despite UBCO closing the gap to 19-22 with contributions from
Faith Solecki and Perry, Saskatchewan pulled ahead to secure the set 25-20, with Cyr contributing crucial points toward the end.
The loss drops the Heat to 4-12 on the campaign while the Huskies improve to 10-8.
The Heat will return home for their final two home matches of the regular season next weekend as they host the Regina Cougars (4-14) in a crucial weekend series as both teams push for a Canada West playoff spot. The first game of the weekend doubleheader will go on Friday, February 7 with first serve set for 6 p.m. Tickets for the game can be purchased at the door on game day.
