The season will close on the UBC Okanagan men's volleyball team after they host a Mount Royal team fighting for a playoff spot this weekend. Saturday night prior to the 7 p.m. match start the Heat will honour the graduating student athletes.(PST).
Game Times (PST)
Canada West conference matches
FRIDAY, FEB 19th, 2016:
8 PM | Volleyball (M) (4-18) vs. the Mount Royal Cougars (11-11)
Webcast | Live Stats | Tickets
SATURDAY, FEB 20th, 2016: [Senior Night]*
7 PM | Volleyball (M) vs. the Mount Royal Cougars
Webcast | Live Stats | Tickets
To be played at the gymnasium at UBC Okanagan.
| UBCO | TALE OF THE TAPE | MRU |
|---|---|---|
| 3-17 | W-L | 11-11 |
| 1-9 | Last 10 | 6-4 |
| 0-5 | Last 5 | 3-2 |
| 78 (2) | Sets | 80 (9) |
| 2-7 | 3 set matches | 7-6 |
| 1-8 | 4 set matches | 2-2 |
| 2-3 | 5 set matches | 2-3 |
| 10.95 (11) | Kills/set | 12.61 (5) |
| 12.65 | Opp. Kills/set | 11.95 |
| .201 (10) | Hitting Pct. | .270 (6) |
| .279 | Opp Hitting Pct. | .254 |
| 10.36 (11) | Assists/set | 11.96 (4) |
| 0.91 (11) | Aces/set | 1.13 (5) |
| 8.85 (11) | Digs/set | 9.63 (5) |
| 10.38 | Opp. Diggs/set | 9.25 |
| 2.08 (9) | Blocks/set | 2.36 (6) |
| 44 (5) | Solo Blocks | 24 (12) |
| 236 (10) | Block Assists | 329 (2) |
UBC OKANAGAN HEAT (12-22, 4-18 Canada West)CIS National Ranking: N/A
CanWest Standings: 11th
Last week: 1-1 // (Fri L, 3-0) (Sat W, 3-2) at GMU
Streak: Won 1
2014-15 Record: (7-24, 6-18) (11th)
2015 CanWest Playoffs: N/A
2015 CIS Tournament: N/A
Last CanWest Title: N/A
Last CIS Title: N/A
This week for the Heat: The UBC Okanagan men’s volleyball team will be returning home to play their final two games of the conference of the season. The program from Kelowna will be hosting the Mount Royal University. The first game will be played on Friday Feb. 19) and will begin at 8 p.m. The second game will be played on Saturday (Feb. 20) and will start at 7 p.m. Both the games will be played in UBC Okanagan’s indoor gym.
Current Form: The Heat ended a losing streak with a five set win in Edmonton on Saturday versus MacEwan, the Heat will not be able to qualify for the playoffs, but with a sweep this weekend they would match their win total from the previous season.
Key Players: UBC Okanagan will say thank you to three players on Saturday as Jeremy Fostvelt, Leo Schober, and Kyle Pankratz play their final games as a member of the Heat.
Overall Head to Head: The Cougars lead the Heat 5-1 in regular season.
MOUNT ROYAL UNIVERSITY (15-15, 11-11 Canada West) CIS National Ranking: NR
CanWest Standings: 8th
Last week: 1-1 // (Fri L, 3-2) (Sat W, 3-2) vs WPG
Streak: Win 1
2014-15 CW Regular Season Record: 11-13
2014-15 CW Playoff Record: //
2014-15 Overall Record: 11-13
Last CW Title/Total CW Titles: //
Last CIS Title/Total CIS Titles: //
Mount Royal University Cougars - The upcoming game is extremely crucial for the Cougars as they bid to progress to the playoffs. The outfit sits in eighth position, two points behind UBC Thunderbirds who are on four game losing streak. Back to back wins in Kelowna will almost assure them of making it to the playoffs for the first time ever.
Current Form: The Cougars won their previous game and strengthened their bid for a playoff berth by grabbing two set wins off Winnipeg in their loss as a potential boon to a tiebreak. The Cougars are one of four teams vying for the last remaining playoff berths with UBC (12-10), Trinity Western (13-9), and Saskatchewan (13-9).
Key Players: Middle hitter Josh Kirkham stands in second position overall with 1.14 blocks per set
Team Stat: The Cougars have made an impressive 189 blocks in the conference.
Preseason preview courtesy of Canadawest.org
Number of new players: 5
Key Recruits: Jonathan Phillips (LB/Caron, SK/Briercrest College), Alex Protic (LB/Calgary, AB/Capilano University), Matt Saly (LB/Calgary, AB/Elite West Volleyball Club), Andrew McWilliam (OH/Dutton, ON/Douglas College), Lachlan Polson (MH/Victoria, BC/Camsoun College)
Number of departing players: 1
Key Loss: Jordan Or (LB/3)
Key performers: With five fifth-years and two fourth-year players, veteran leadership and depth will be the defining factors this season. Fifth-years Jordan Parkin, Grigor Kartev, Lucas King, Andrew McWilliam and Mike Wickstrom could all potentially start for Coach Sky this season. Jordan Parkin was last season’s team scoring leader and the Dale Iwanoczko Award winner for the entire CIS.
Coach Quote: “We have an exceptionally deep team, a real strong veteran core, five fifth years and a number of fourth years so our expectations are very high. We have identified that expectations are high and we are striving towards that. This group is working exceptionally hard to build through the process and produce our desired outcomes. We are committing to getting better every single week knowing that if we are fully invested in the process then those outcomes will come.” – Mount Royal head coach Shawn Sky.
Key storyline: Despite not making it to the Canada West playoffs in their first three seasons, just qualifying simply isn’t the Cougars' goal this season. The goal is competing for the national championship. The Cougars have a very deep team and success within Canada West, the most competitive conference in the country, could have them primed for a chance at national supremacy.
Graduating student athletes:
#1 Jeremy Fostvelt - Fitth year libero Jeremy Fostvelt will graduate this spring with his degree in Applied Sciences.
Fostvelt began his career with the Heat in 2011 and only played in CIS matches for UBC Okanagan, after a successful high school career at Earl Marriot in Surrey, in the final year of which he and his Mariners teammates won a silver medal in the high school provincial championship.
In his rookie year, Jeremy played in all 20 Canada West matches in the 2011/12 season. He led the Heat in digs that season, with 159, a stat good enough to put him at 15th overall in CIS.
In his second season, 2012/13, Jeremy played in 21 Canada West matches, finishing with 197 digs in the campaign. That was a team high, fourth most in the university’s history, and 7th overall in CIS that season. He also finished the season with 22 assists, and had a season and career high 20 digs in a match against Saskatchewan on November 3, 2012.
Jeremy had a team high in digs again through the 20 matches he played during the 2013/14 season, with 150. His third year season high came in a match against the UBC Thunderbirds on January 11, 2014, when he had 17.
In his fourth year, the 2014/15 season, Fostvelt played in all 24 matches and earned 167 digs. His season high came in a match against Thompson Rivers, on January 15, 2015, with 18 digs.
In his career Jeremy Fostvelt has played in 93 matches for the Heat, earning a career stat line of 684 digs (good enough for top-ten all-time in Canada West) and tops at UBC Okanagan.
#3 Leo Schober - Kelowna Secondary product Leo Schober, a middle blocker for the Heat for four seasons, will be graduating this year with his degree in Earth and Environmental sciences.In his rookie season with the Heat, in 2011/12, Leo played in six sets through four matches, in which he earned two kills.
In his sophomore season, 2012/13, Schober played in 18 Canada West matches, and was named the Heat’s most improved player. He earned 48 kills, 13 digs, and 53 total blocks through the campaign. He also had a team, career and record for UBC Okanagan of 10 blocks in a match against Calgary on January 18, 2013.
After red shirting in 2013/14, Leo returned to the court with the Heat for the 2014/15 season. He played in 23 matches in his third year of play, earning 68 kills, 72 total blocks, as well as eight service aces. His season highs came against MacEwan on November 28, 2014 when he had 11 kills – a career best mark, and against Calgary on January 9, 2015 when he had nine total blocks.
Through the 67 matches and 210 sets he has played with the Heat, Leo Schober owns career statistics of 184 total blocks, 213 kills, and a .245 attack rate.
#12 Kyle Pankratz - Fifth year right side hitter Kyle Pankratz will graduate this spring with his degree in Human Kinetics. He signed to UBC Okanagan before the 2013/14 season, he starred in his first two post-secondary seasons after graduating from Fraser Heights Secondary in Surrey, B.C., at Briercrest College in Caronport, Saskatchewan.
In his first season with the Heat, Kyle played all 22 Canada West matches in the 2013/14 schedule, starting in 14 of them. He finished the season tied for third on the team in kills, with 122. He also earned 84 digs, seven service aces, and a 1.85 kills per set average.
Through the 2014/15 season, his second with the team, Pankratz earned 52 kills, 21 total blocks, and 23 digs through 21 matches. Kyle had a season high 12 kills and eight digs against MacEwan on November 29, 2014. His set his career mark in blocks at Regina (Nov. 22, 2014) with 7.
Playing his best as his career winds down Kyle, just last weekend set his career mark in kills in a Canada West match with 21 on Saturday against MacEwan (Feb. 13, 2016).
Kyle Pankratz has played in 65 matches with the Heat, earning career statistics of 289 kills, an attack percentage of .192, as well as 63 total blocks, 144 digs, and 16 service aces.