OTTAWA, Ont. – A trip to the nation's capital saw the Heat women's volleyball team gain valuable experience, playing against two teams that competed at Nationals last season. 

The longest-running U SPORTS volleyball tournament, the Gee-Gees Pre-Season Classic hosted 10 teams from across the country over the weekend. 

UBCO got their weekend started with an impressive 2-1 win (25-22, 18-25, 25-15) over the Manitoba Bisons, a team that was ranked nationally as high as No. 4 last season. 

A close 2-1 victory (27-25, 21-25, 25-22) over the Nipissing Lakers followed on Friday. 

Day 2 saw the Heat take on the St. Mary's Huskies and Sherbrooke Vert et Or, who both made the U SPORTS Championship in 2025-26. 

UBCO dropped two-set decisions to the Huskies (16-25, 25-19) and Vert & Or (18-25, 20-25) to finish fourth in their pool. 

The Heat ultimately finished in eighth place after dropping a competitive three-set match (26-28, 24-26, 22-25) to the host Gee-Gees. After pushing the first two frames to extra points, UBCO showed plenty of fight in the third, rallying from a 14-3 deficit before falling 25-22.