The UBC Okanagan women's volleyball team took care of business in Winnipeg as they took six straight sets of the Manitoba Bisons to up their win streak to eight in a row.
Women's Volleyball (Canada West conference match)
Saturday, January 9th, 2016
Investors Group Athletic Centre, Winnipeg, MB
SET SCORES 1 2 3 TEAM RECORDS UBC Okanagan........ (3) 25 25 25 13-1 Manitoba............ (0) 16 13 16 2-12
WINNIPEG, MB – The No. 3 UBC Okanagan Heat women’s volleyball team won straight sets (25-26, 25-13, 25-16) against the University of Manitoba Bison’s at Investors Group Athletic Centre Saturday afternoon.
The victory extends the Heat’s win streak to eight games and gives UBC Okanagan a 13-1 record, with the win and the Alberta Trinity Western split, puts all three squads at the top of the Canada West standings at 13-1. UBC also only has one loss but due to the bye weekend are currently 11-1.
UBC Okanagan will play these three teams (Alberta, UBC, TWU), twice each, in the next six conference games but over four weeks. UBC Okanagan will have their bye on January 22-23.
First up in for UBC Okanagan will be the University of Alberta Pandas in a doubleheader next weekend in Kelowna.
Manitoba now sits at a 2-12 record after their third straight loss.
UBC Okanagan’s Michelle Jakszuk and Katie Wuttunee put up 13 and 12 kills, respectively, while Manitoba’s Angelica Kilberg had six.
The teams looked evenly matched at the start of the first set until the Heat took a 12-7 lead after two kills from Brianna Beamish and a pair of Manitoba attack errors. The Bisons fought back, taking advantage of UBC Okanagan’s mistakes and adding a service ace from Kalena Schulz, but they couldn’t stop the Heat toward the end of the set. UBC Okanagan held Manitoba pointless through the last seven rallies and won the set 25-16 on a Bison attack error.
UBC Okanagan put up four straight kills and quickly took a 6-4 lead to force a Manitoba timeout early in the second. The strong attacks continued on both sides for the rest of the set. The teams combined for 22 kills, six of which came from Wuttunee.
The Heat dominated after the technical timeout, scoring on seven straight rallies, including a pair of service aces from veteran setter Chandler Proch. The Bisons added a point and broke up the Heat’s streak, but it wasn’t enough, and UBC Okanagan took the set 25-13 on the next rally.
The third set looked a lot like the second, until Manitoba’s Schulz served two straight aces and Tori Studler added a kill to cut the Heat’s lead to 13-10. But UBC Okanagan responded with powerful attacks, and the Bisons couldn’t keep up. Manitoba held the Heat off at match point twice before a kill from UBC Okanagan’s Siobhan Fitzpatrick won the set 25-16 and the game 3-0.
Set scores: 25-16, 25-13, 25-16
Kill leaders: Michelle Jakszuk (UBC Okanagan) 13, Angelica Kilberg (Manitoba) 6
Dig leaders: Caleigh Dobie (Manitoba) 10, Brianna Beamish (UBC Okanagan) 9
Assist leaders: Emily Oxland (UBC Okanagan) 38, Sydney Purvis (Manitoba) 14
~ With notes from Danielle Doiron // Manitoba Bisons communications