KELOWNA, B.C. — On the strength of three career-high performances, the UBCO Heat women's volleyball team (5-9) secured a thrilling five-set victory over the Calgary Dinos (6-6) on Saturday at the UBCO Gymnasium, with scores of 25-19, 23-25, 25-22, 20-25, 15-8. The home squad racked up 55 kills with a .233 hitting percentage to clinch the win.

Natalie Funk was unstoppable, leading with 19.5 points, including 12 kills on 24 attempts and four service aces. Korey Jenkins added 16.5 points, delivering 16 kills and six digs over the five sets. Kylan Finseth orchestrated the offence with 44 assists, alongside 12 digs and four blocks. Ali Rathlef contributed nine kills and three service aces, rounding off with 15 points and five blocks.

Sophia Hansen paced Calgary with strong efforts on both offence and defence, posting 13 kills and 15 digs, totaling 16 points. Anya Fehr excelled in setting with 35 assists and five service aces, efficiently distributing the ball. 

UBCO kicked off the first set with a commanding start, capitalizing on Calgary's attack errors and swiftly building a 4-0 lead, thanks in large part to blocks by Marija Josipovic and Funk. Jenkins led the offence with crucial kills, maintaining UBCO's momentum and lead. Despite the Dinos' rally with back-to-back service aces from Fehr, the Heat stood strong, sealing the set 25-19 with a decisive kill by Funk.

In the second set, UBCO found themselves in a tight contest, ultimately falling 25-23. Kirsten Hill and Jenkins each delivered significant kills to keep the score tight. Despite a service ace from Rathlef and a block by Rathlef and Josipovic that evened the score at 9-9, Calgary capitalized on four attack errors from UBCO to eke out the set.

The third set saw UBCO taking advantage of Calgary's errors to claim a 25-22 victory. The Heat's service pressure was evident, with Funk firing three service aces that bolstered their lead. Calgary attempted a late rally, spurred by McLean's trio of consecutive service aces, but UBCO's balanced attack, highlighted by key kills from Jenkins and Funk, kept them ahead. The set concluded with UBCO leading 25-22.

The Dinos emerged strong in the fourth set, jumping to a 4-1 lead, aided by a service ace from Robyn McLean. Despite UBCO's efforts to close the gap with service aces from Josipovic and Rathlef, Calgary maintained control with key kills from Leni Blanke and McLean. Calgary's service pressure and UBCO's errors led to a 25-20 set win in the Dinos' favour.

The Heat clinched the decisive fifth set 15-8, driven by a commanding start that included a 6-1 run. The hosts capitalized on Calgary's errors, including two blocks from Funk and Josipovic against Hansen, and secured three service aces. The Dinos' comeback attempts were thwarted by errors and a solid UBCO defence.

Looking ahead, UBCO will have a bye weekend before facing the nationally-ranked Trinity Western Spartans (8-4) on Friday, Jan. 23 at 5:30 p.m. Tickets for the game can be purchased by visiting GoHeat.ca/Tickets.

Game Notes:
- Finseth's 44 assists marked a new single-game career high for the fourth-year setter, while her 12 digs set a new season best
- Jenkins' 16 kills were a career-high for the second-year outside hitter
- Funk's 19.5 points were the most in a single game of her Heat career
- the Heat have now won three of their last five games against the Dinos