KELOWNA, B.C. — The UBCO Heat defeated the Brandon Bobcats 3-1 (25-13, 25-12, 23-25, 25-16) on Saturday at UBCO Gymnasium with fifth-year middle
Thys Weststrate tying a school record with seven aces in a single match. As well, the Heat hit .333 with 39 kills and 14 aces while holding the Bobcats to a .088 hitting percentage.
Weststrate, the Heat standout, finished with 21.5 points, recording 10 kills on .533 hitting, 4.5 blocks, and seven service aces. Fifth-year outside
Seba Manuel trailed just behind with six service aces. Another key addition to the match was third-year outside
Xander van Driel, who led the Heat with 13 kills while hitting .423. Second-year setter
Dominic Sodaro posted 31 assists, seven digs, and six block assists.
Leading the Bobcats was Ethan Baranuik with 12 kills, 14.0 points, and six digs. Mason Lange added 10 kills and two service aces while Liam Kindle finished with six kills, four digs, and three block assists. Setter Kale Fisher recorded 28 assists, two digs, and a service ace.
The Heat took the opening set 25-13, finishing with 11 kills and five service aces while the Bobcats had seven kills and seven attack errors. Van Driel led the Heat with four kills, Sodaro dished out 10 assists, and Weststrate began his run with three aces.
Setting the tone for the second set was Weststrate with four kills and four service aces to tie the school record. The Heat finished the set 25-13 with five aces and nine kills, while the Bobcats had five kills and one ace.
The Bobcats held a 13-11 edge in kills and took the third set 25-23, despite the Heat closing the gap late. Van Driel had four kills in the set for the Heat, while Manuel served back-to-back aces during a four-point push that brought the Heat from 24-19 to 24-23 before the Bobcats finished it on Baranuik's kill.
Finishing the match in the fourth set, the Heat won 25-16 despite the Bobcats holding a 9-8 edge in kills, as UBCO scored on eight blocks and Brandon committed 10 attack errors. The Heat created separation with Manuel serving, scoring seven straight points to move from down 10-9 to ahead 16-10 as he recorded two aces during the stretch.
Up next, the Heat men's volleyball team travels to Calgary to face the Calgary Dinos on Friday, Nov. 6, at 6:15 p.m.
