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University of British Columbia Okanagan

UBCO setter Zach van Geel rises to set a ball during action against the Mount Royal Cougars in Calgary.
Adrian Shellard
3
Winner University of British Columbia Okanagan OK 15-2,15-2
2
Mount Royal University MRU 6-9,6-9
Winner
University of British Columbia Okanagan OK
15-2,15-2
3
Final
2
Mount Royal University MRU
6-9,6-9
Set Scores
Team 1 2 3 4 5 F
University of British Columbia Okanagan OK 17 25 25 17 15 (3)
Mount Royal University MRU 25 22 22 25 13 (2)

Game Recap: Men's Volleyball | | Jamie Howieson

Van Geel sets career assists record as Heat get past Cougars in five

Fifth-year setter Zach van Geel passed Kristof Schlagintweit for career assists at UBCO to lead Heat to 15th win of the season

CALGARY – UBCO setter Zach van Geel made team history on Friday night, becoming UBCO's all-time leader for career assists as his U SPORTS No. 3-ranked Heat (15-2) knocked off the Mount Royal Cougars (6-9) in five sets (17-25, 25-22, 25-22, 17-25, 15-13).
 
Playing in his hometown, the fifth-year had another dominant performance, racking up 51 assists along with four digs as he passed Kristof Schlagintweit's previous record of 2704 assists. Needing just 17 assists in the match to break the record, van Geel now has 2739 assists to his name with the Heat, ranking him 14th all-time in Canada West history.
 
His favourite target on the night was outside hitter Lucas Woelders who registered a season-best 16 kills and 18 total points. Xander van Driel matched Woelders' 16 kills while middle Thys Weststrate added 15 as van Geel spread the ball around all night long.
 
Kale Orr recorded a game-high 19 kills to lead the Cougars who gave UBCO all they could handle on the night.
 
MRU struck first in the opening set, as Cody Hudson and Orr helped the Cougars build a quick 7-4 lead. UBCO answered through Weststrate and van Driel to pull within one, but Mount Royal quickly regained control. Back-to-back kills from Hudson pushed the advantage to 16-11 and the Cougars would remain in control to claim the opening frame.
 
The second set was tighter, with neither side able to separate early. UBCO found a mid-set push to but a late service error swung momentum back to the Heat, who closed the frame 25–22 to even the match.
 
The third set followed a similar script, but UBCO struck first as Weststrate and Woelders combined to build a 12-6 advantage. Mount Royal answered with a run to cut the deficit to 16-13, forcing a timeout, yet the Heat executed late to claim another 25-22 win and move ahead 2-1.
 
Facing elimination, the Cougars responded. An early fourth-set surge put MRU up 7-3, and kills from Orr and Hudson extended the lead to 15-10. The Cougars held steady from there, finishing the set 25-17 to force a decisive fifth.
 
The final frame delivered drama throughout, with the teams deadlocked at 8–8 midway through. UBCO edged ahead 12-10 on a powerful Weststrate kill, but Orr answered to tie it at 12-12. In the closing rallies, the Heat found one last push, slipping ahead late and sealing the fifth set 15–13 to escape with a hard-fought 3–2 victory.
 
With the victory, the Heat move into a tie in wins with the idle UBC Thunderbirds (15-1) for first place in the conference. It also secured UBCO home court advantage in the Canada West Quarter-finals.
 
The two teams will rematch on Saturday, January 31 to wrap up their weekend doubleheader. First serve is set for 4 p.m. Pacific and fans can catch the action live on CanadaWest.tv presented by BioSteel.
 
 
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