CALGARY, Alta. — The UBCO Heat women's volleyball team (5-12) fell to the Mount Royal Cougars (3-12) in a 3-1 decision on Friday, with set scores of 25-18, 15-25, 12-25, 17-25.
UBCO started strong with a .303 hitting percentage in the opening set but lost momentum as Mount Royal racked up 14 service aces throughout the match.
Ali Rathlef spearheaded the offence for the Heat with nine kills on 16 attempts, achieving a .438 hitting percentage.
Kylan Finseth orchestrated the attack with 25 assists and contributed defensively with seven digs.
Marija Josipovic added six kills and was active in defence with nine digs.
Madison Gardner matched Josipovic's offensive output with six kills and maintained a .286 hitting percentage.
Faith Obasi was a standout for Mount Royal, delivering seven service aces and tallying a team-high 15 points across four games. Sydney Scatcherd was close behind with 15.5 points, contributing 12 kills and three service aces.
UBCO set the tone early in the opening set, jumping to a 6–2 lead. The Heat continued to apply pressure, with middle
Ali Rathlef anchoring a strong defensive stretch to extend UBCO's lead to 13–7. The Cougars pulled within two before
Natalie Funk steadied the Heat, restoring a five-point cushion at 20–15, and UBCO closed out the set 25–18 to take the early lead.
The Cougars bounced back in the second set, opening with a fast 5–2 advantage. Sydney Scatcherd pushed the lead to 9–4, forcing an early UBCO timeout.
Mount Royal's defence continued to frustrate the visitors, who eventually extended the lead to 14–8, prompting another UBCO timeout. Faith Obasi later widened the margin to eight at 20–12 as the Cougars eventually evened the match at one.
The third set began tightly, with UBCO's Josipovic and
Madison Gardner keeping the visitors within striking distance, but the Cougars answered to hold it 10–10. Mount Royal gradually took control with a balanced team effort, building a 17–12 lead that forced a Heat timeout. Powered by strong serving and cohesive team play, MRU was in control the rest of the way, winning 25–12.
Momentum carried into the fourth set, with UBCO staying competitive early at 5–5. Key kills helped the Cougars pull away to 15–6 and maintain control for the remainder of the set, eventually coming away with the win.
Looking ahead, the Heat will face the Mount Royal Cougars again on Saturday, Jan. 31 at 6 p.m. Fans can catch the game live on CanadaWest.tv presented by BioSteel.