Cole Tweed, Heat Sports Information
Kelowna, B.C. – After a close first set, the Heat women's volleyball team would pull away from the Winnipeg Wesmen on Friday night, eventually winning in three sets. With the win, the Heat move into second position in the Canada West conference and have now clinched a playoff spot with the win.
The Heat would trail 20-19 in the first set but second year setter Sara McCreary would come up with an outstanding stuff block that would change the complexion of the match.
UBC Okanagan, coming into the match as the No. 1 ranked team in the country, took control from that point never again trailing by more then a point, and would hit an efficient .290 for the match compared to just .136 for the visitors.
First Set: (25-20)
The Heat came out firing with a strong start, quickly putting five points on the board, but were stopped short by an unexpected comeback from the Wesmen. The Wesmen presented the Heat with strong play, as they led throughout the first set until Sara McCreary shut them down with a huge block at 20-19. The Heat would not look back as Aidan Lea served out the the following six points to win the first set. As a team the Heat hit .269 in the first set while the Wesmen hit .146.
Second Set: (25-17)
The second set began the same way as the first, with the Heat clenching an early lead. For the majority of the set, the Wesmen trailed by just over four, not seeming able to catch up to the Heat's quick start. A big point was scored by Erin Drew of the Heat with a float serve to force a time out at 13-7. This would be as close as the visitors would get as the home team took a commanding two set lead.
Third Set: (25-18)
The Wesmen came into the last quarter with a vengeance, but it wasn't meant to be. After a small lead, the Heat regained control of the ball and pulled ahead. The Heat led for the rest of the game, and Aidan Lea finished the match with a kill. The Wesmen made a last second come-back attempt on the game point, but couldn't make it all the way.
Key Performers:
UBC Okanagan:
- Third year middle blocker Aidan Lea led the Heat with 11 points, with 10 kills and a hitting percentage of .667. Lea came into the game second in the conference in hitting percentage (.367).
- Outside hitter Ann Richards also played well, with 11.5 points, nine kills on 16 swings and an even attack rate of .500.
Winnipeg:
- Jessica Friesen led the way for the Wesmen with (8.5) points, kills on only 10 swings, and a pair of blocks.
- Emma parker, Ashleigh Laube, and Maria Colvin, all had seven points each for the visitors.
By the Numbers:
- The Heat would finish with more total kills (41-34), assists (41-32), service aces (7-3) and total blocks (12-2)
-The Wesmen played the more aggressive game with the most attacks (110-93).
Next Up:
- The UBC Okanagan women (15-4) and the University of Winnipeg (1-18) face off again Saturday night in the UBC Okanagan gym, with first serve at 5 p.m. PST.