CALGARY — The U SPORTS No. 7-ranked UBCO Heat defeated the Calgary Dinos 3-1 on Friday at Jack Simpson Gym, finishing the fourth set on a 9-0 run. After dropping the opening set 26-24, the Heat won the final three 25-11, 25-22, and 25-8 while hitting .361 for the match.
Leading the way for the Heat was
Xander van Driel, who recorded 17 kills and 19.0 points while hitting .481.
Dominic Sodaro finished with 29 assists, 10 digs, and two service aces.
Jack Taylor contributed seven kills on .400 hitting and matched led the team with 3.5 blocks while
Thys Weststrate posted three blocks, adding six kills and six digs.
In a nail-biter first set, a Calgary attack error tied it at 24-24 before the Dinos took the final two points on a Jackson Vandersteen kill and a UBCO attack error to claim a 26-24 win. UBCO held a 12-11 edge in kills, led by van Driel's four, while Calgary countered with four blocks. The Dinos committed nine service errors to the Heat's eight.
UBCO responded with a dominant second set, using a 7-0 run to take a 25-11 victory.
Seba Manuel served six consecutive points during the run as the Heat recorded four service aces, including two from Manuel. Calgary struggled offensively, committing eight attack errors and four service errors.
The Heat carried that momentum into a tighter third frame, earning a 25-22 win. UBCO held an 11-8 advantage in kills, led by six from van Driel and three from Weststrate. Sodaro added nine assists in the set, while Calgary recorded two aces but also committed five service errors, including the final miss that gave the UBCO the set.
Saving its most dominant stretch for last, UBCO closed out the match with nine straight points to take the fourth 25-8. The Heat finished with a commanding 12-4 advantage in kills, with van Driel and Taylor each contributing three to seal the victory.
Up next, the Heat rematch with the Dinos tomorrow Saturday, Nov. 7, at 4:45 p.m. in Calgary.
