Jill Festival and her Heat teammates make history Friday night.
At six p.m. the whistle will blow Friday night and the first serve will travel across the net to mark the Heat’s journey into interuniversity sport. After the last 20 years of competing at the collegiate level the Heat will compile new records in the highest level of interuniversity sport in Canada. The Heat will face off against the No. 6 University of Winnipeg Wesmen for this historic match. The first game is Friday at 6 p.m. The Canada West volleyball schedule is in a doubleheader format, so the Wesmen and the Heat will square off again Saturday at 6 p.m.
GAME TIMES
Friday, October 28 – University of Winnipeg Wesmen at UBC Okanagan Heat (6 p.m. in the gym on UBC’s Okanagan campus, Kelowna)
Saturday, October 29 – University of Winnipeg Wesmen at UBC Okanagan Heat (6 p.m. in the gym on UBC’s Okanagan campus, Kelowna)
Both games will be streamed with live video: www.canadawest.tv
HEAT (0-0)
CIS National Ranking: N/A
CanWest Ranking: No. 9
CanWest Standings: N/A
Last Week: N/A
Streak: N/A
2010 CanWest Record: N/A
2010 CanWest Championship: N/A
2010 CIS Tournament: N/A
Last CanWest Title: N/A
Last CIS Title: N/A
Full Schedule / Roster
The Wesmen come in as the sixth ranked team both in the Canada West and nationally in the CIS. Although this is the Heat’s first CIS game the Wesmen are not an unknown to the Heat as they faced off at the beginning of the month during a preseason tournament hosted by the University of Winnipeg. In that matchup the Heat fell to the host school in five sets.
Heat coach Steve Manuel has his team as ready as they can be after a busy preseason in which the team played in two tough tournaments in Vancouver and Winnipeg and is anxious to finally play that first match.
“I think we’re as ready as we can be. I think most teams feel the same way at this point of the season, they want to get the season under way,” comments Manuel. “Speaking to other coaches around the league, whether they’ve been coaching for five years or twenty five years in the league, I think everyone is feeling the same- just wanting to get going.”
Manuel will be without his All-Canadian setter Caitlin Nyhus but second year setter and Kelowna product Chandler Proch is excited to set for the Heat. “I’m really lucky to be in my second year and already in this position,” says Proch.
Chandler will be surrounded by, “… ten returning players,” adds Manuel, “we’ve got a solid, solid foundation from last season. The three recruits we’ve added are great players, great student athletes. It’s been a seamless transition with the people we had departing and the people we had coming into the fold.”
Some more info from CanadaWest.org:
Key additions: Katy Klomps, Brianna Beamish, Kate DeJong
Key returnees: Alex Basso, Jill Festival, Myrte Schön
Key departures: Caitlin Nyhus, Kirsten Lawson
The UBC Okanagan Heat enter 2011-12 as a new entry into the CIS, and will look to make waves with historically one of the school’s strongest athletic programs.
After back-to-back collegiate national championship titles the Heat fell just short of a third national medal in 2011 and now move on to CIS competition.
In his eleventh season as head coach Steve Manuel will rely on two of his outside hitters to step up to the challenge of the CIS ranks. Fourth-year Alex Basso, a two time All-Canadian, and third year players Myrte Schön, a national tournament All-Star from 2011, and Jill Festival have had success at the collegiate level and look to be leaders.
In the middle the Heat will use a number of players depending on the hot hand. Kendra Wayling a third year player will get most of the starts, but look for 6’2” freshman Katy Klomps, one of the top high school players in B.C. this past school year, will also see a lot of floor time. Fourth year Kaylan Gouldsborough and sophomore Emily Carroll will add to the team’s depth.
New to the roster are Brianna Beamish and Kate DeJong, an athletic 6’1” outside hitter from Calgary Christian.
WINNIPEG WESMEN (0-0)
CIS National Ranking: No. 6
CanWest Ranking: No. 6
CanWest Standings: N/A
Last Week: N/A
Streak: N/A
2010 CanWest Record: 6-12
2010 CanWest Championship: N/A
2010 CIS Tournament: N/A
Last CanWest Title: N/A
Last CIS Title: 1993
Some more info from CanadaWest.org:
Key additions: Erika Buchanan, Tesca Andrew-Wasylik, Ellina Domnidou, Ozana Nikolic
Key returnees: Lauren Sears, Brittany Habing, Carleen Kruschel, Alicia Perry, Mackenzie Jeffrey
Key departures: Sonia Rossy, Alix Krahn, Kaelyn Gauthier, Miranda Grayson
WINNIPEG – Head coach Diane Scott, now in her 17th season, and her re-built team are looking to make an impact this season.
Middle blocker and team captain Lauren Sears returns for her fifth year. Last season she was named a Canada West All-Star after finishing in the top 10 in several categories, including hitting percentage, points and blocks. Second-year setter Brittany Habing will once again be counted on to set up the offence. Fifth-year libero Tesca Andrew-Wasylik joins the Wesmen after spending four years at Wilfrid Laurier University, where she was named an OUA All-Star last season.
Third-year left side Carleen Kruschel was one of the team leaders in kills and digs and will be called upon again this year to provide experience and leadership to the team.
Third-year middle Alicia Perry and second-year right side Mackenzie Jeffrey both return, as does left side Erika Willows in her second season.
Scott brings in an impressive recruiting class into the season. Middle Erika Buchanan (University of Montana), Ozana Nikolic (U of W Collegiate) and Ellina Domnidou all saw significant court time during the preseason. Samantha Dubicki and Tia Boroski round out the first-year Wesmen players looking to make an impact.
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