Women's basketball players celebrate a basket on the left, while James Tse is seen celebrating on the right.

General 11/9/2026 1:00:00 PM Theo Wan

Two Heat teams ranked in U SPORTS Top 10 for third straight week

Women's basketball comes in at No. 10, men's volleyball remains at No. 7

KELOWNA, B.C. – Multiple UBCO Heat teams continue to appear in the latest U SPORTS Top 10 rankings.

Women's Basketball (3-1) - No. 10
Last Week: No. 8 (Nov. 2)
Highest Ranking: No. 8 (Nov. 2)
Weeks in U SPORTS Top 10: Three (Oct. 26, Nov. 2, Nov. 9)

The UBCO Heat women's basketball team remains second in the Canada West Pacific Division standings with a 3-1 record after a 1-1 weekend split.

In a battle of Top 10 squads, the Heat ranked No. 8 at the time fell 76-55 to the then No. 10 UBC Thunderbirds on Friday at UBCO Gymnasium. Kanani Coon, a fourth-year guard, led the Heat with 11 points, eight rebounds, and four steals while third-year guard Ava Heppner scored a career-high 10 points off the bench. Going to the line 11 times, the Heat made good on nine of them to finish at 81.8 per cent compared to the Thunderbirds' 75.0 per cent. Controlling the glass, UBCO outrebounded the visitors 40-33 in the contest.

Bouncing back the next night, UBCO took down the visiting UFV Cascades 71-53 off a career-high 22 points from fifth-year guard/forward Lily Pink. The Kelowna, B.C., native also grabbed seven rebounds and added three assists and was joined in double-digit points from Coon and fourth-year forward Stef Hart, who scored 16 and 12, respectively, in the win. The Heat owned the rebounds category for consecutive nights, earning 48 to just 34 from their opponents, and also locked down the three-point line, holding the Cascades to 1-for-18 for 5.6 per cent from beyond the arc.

Multiple Heat players are among the top U SPORTS and Canada West individual leaders as Coon is tied for seventh in the country and tied for fourth in the conference with 18.5 points per game while Lewis is tied for fifth and tied for fourth in the respective rankings with 11.3 rebounds per game. Lewis also has been a key protector of the rim for the Heat this season, sitting tied for sixth in U SPORTS and tied for third in Canada West with 2.0 blocks per game.

The Heat have been strong on the glass, leading the conference with 48.8 rebounds per game and a +11.8 rebounding margin per game. Their 15 assists per game also put them fourth in Canada West while holding their opponents to 10 assists per game, which is second fewest in the conference. The defence continues to also remain the team's calling card, holding their opponents to 57 points per game and 32.0 per cent from the field, both good for second in the conference.

After a bye week, the Heat are back in action for two games against the Regina Cougars in Regina on Friday, Nov. 20 and Saturday, Nov. 21. Tip-off is set for 5 p.m. and 4 p.m. Pacific Time, respectively, and can be seen on CanadaWest.tv, presented by BioSteel.

Men's Volleyball (3-1) - No. 7
Last Week: No. 7 (Oct. 26, Nov. 2, Nov. 9)
Highest Ranking: No. 7 (Oct. 26, Nov. 2, Nov. 9)
Weeks in U SPORTS Top 10: Three (Oct. 26, Nov. 2, Nov. 9)

Coming off a 2-0 weekend in Calgary and a sweep over the Calgary Dinos, the UBCO Heat currently hold the second spot in the Canada West men's volleyball standings with a 3-1 record and 10 points.

In the Friday 3-1 (24-26, 25-11, 25-22, 25-8) victory, the Heat rebounded from dropping a tight first set to win the next three, including a commanding 25-8 fourth-set victory. Third-year outside hitter Xander van Driel delivered a game-high 19 points from 17 kills and two blocks, while both Seba Manuel and Jack Taylor also finished with double-digit points. UBCO hit at a .361 clip including two sets where they hit over .500. They held Calgary to a .052 hitting percentage off a strong defensive performance that saw them double up the Dinos 34-17 in digs.

The next night, UBCO controlled the match from start to finish, winning in three sets (25-22, 25-17, 25-16). Van Driel was top of the UBCO stat sheet for the second consecutive night, earning a match-high 13 points from 12 kills and one block. Thys Weststrate, a fifth-year middle, notched six kills on just 10 attempts with one error for a .500 hitting percentage, and he added four blocks to finish with 10 points. Second-year setter Dominic Sodaro distributed a game-high 28 assists, helping lead the Heat to a second straight game hitting over .300 as they outhit the Dinos .325 to .074. The defence played a pivotal role once again as they made 36 digs and finished with nine blocks.

Van Driel continues to be a presence in the national and conference leaderboards as he sits ninth in U SPORTS and third in Canada West with 3.81 kills per set. He also ranks 10th nationally and third in the conference with 4.3 points per set. Leading all qualified hitters in the conference and ranking sixth in the country, Weststrate has had a sensational start to the season with a .484 hitting percentage, recording 38 kills on 62 attempts with just eight errors. Sodaro ranks third in Canada West with 8.81 assists per set and is tied with teammate James Tse for fourth in the conference with 2.06 digs per set.

UBCO ranks second in multiple offensive categories including kills per set (11.38), points per set (15.7), and hitting percentage (.301), while also sitting third in blocks per set (2.56) and digs per set (9.33). Also a threat from the service line, the Heat average over one service ace per set, ranking fourth at 1.75.

Up next, the Heat are set to host a School Day Game against the Saskatchewan Huskies on Friday, Nov. 13 at 11 a.m. at UBCO Gymnasium. The rematch will take place the following day on Saturday, Nov. 14 with first serve set for 3 p.m. Tickets for both games can be purchased at GoHeat.ca/tickets.