KELOWNA, B.C. – For the first time since Nov. 2022, the UBCO Heat have two teams simultaneously ranked in the U SPORTS Top 10.
Women's Basketball (0-0) - No. 9
Last Week: No rankings
Highest Ranking: No. 9 (Oct. 26)
Weeks in U SPORTS Top 10: One (Oct. 26)
After claiming the No. 10 spot in the U SPORTS women's basketball preseason rankings, the Heat have cracked the national Top 10 for the first time in program history.
The season begins with the home opener against the UNBC Timberwolves at UBCO Gymnasium on Friday, Oct. 30 at 5 p.m. before a road matchup against the TRU WolfPack on Sunday, Nov. 1 at 1 p.m wraps up the weekend.
Bobby Mitchell's squad is coming off a strong preseason which saw them finish with a 7-2 record, including victories over the Calgary Dinos, the defending Canada West champions, and the Windsor Lancers, who sit just outside the Top 10.
Lily Pink returns for her final season after earning Canada West Third Team All-Star honours in 2025-26, averaging 9.1 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game. She is joined by the team's returning leading scorer Kanani Coon (13.3 points per game) and leading rebounder Tennyson McCarthy (6.5 rebounds per game).
After making the playoffs for the fifth straight year and the quarterfinals for the second time in three seasons, the Heat are poised to build on that momentum as they aim for a deep run in 2026-27.
Men's Volleyball (1-1) - No. 7
Last Week: No rankings
Highest Ranking: No. 7 (Oct. 26)
Weeks in U SPORTS Top 10: One (Oct. 26)
After spending 11 of 12 weeks in the national rankings last season, the Heat are once again among the country's elite. The Heat debuted at No. 7 in the second week of the 2025-26 U SPORTS rankings, marking their first appearance in the Top 10 since March 2022. UBCO would eventually climb to a program-best No. 3 on Jan. 26 before finishing fourth in the final rankings of the season.
This past weekend, the Heat split a home-opening series with the Brandon Bobcats. After falling in a five-set thriller (25-22, 25-21, 22-25, 23-25, 17-15) on Friday, UBCO bounced back the next day with a four-set victory (25-13, 25-12, 23-25, 25-16), winning each of its three sets by no fewer than nine points.
Leading the way in the two games was Thys Weststrate, who earned a combined 41.5 points from 26 kills, eight aces and 7.5 blocks, with his impressive seven aces in the Saturday match tying a school single-game record. He currently sits first in the country and conference in hitting percentage (.649) and aces (8), while ranking third in Canada West and fifth in U SPORTS in points and fourth and sixth, respectively, in kills.
Weststrate isn't the only Heat player making his mark early, as multiple members of the team occupy the top of the national and conference leaderboards. Xander van Driel is second in both U SPORTS and Canada West in kills with 32, while Seba Manuel is not far behind Weststrate's eight total aces with seven of his own, putting him second in both rankings. Leading the national and conference assist category is Dominic Sodaro, who dished out 84 on the weekend.
After a bye week, the Heat will go up against the Calgary Dinos on Nov. 6-7, with first serve scheduled for 6:15 p.m. and 4:45 p.m. Pacific Time, respectively.
