In the second of two matches in the UBC Okanagan gymnasium this weekend, the Heat men fell in four sets to the visitors from Manitoba.
Men’s Volleyball (Canada West conference match)
Saturday, November 12th, 2016
UBC Okanagan, Kelowna, BC
FINAL 1 2 3 4 SCORE Manitoba (5-1) 25 16 25 25 3 UBC Okanagan (1-3) 21 25 20 22 1
KELOWNA, BC — The UBC Okanagan Heat were defeated at home by the University of Manitoba Bisons on Saturday night, 3-1 in the UBC Okanagan gymnasium. Set scores were: 25-21, 16-25, 25-20, and 25-22.
After the Heat and the Bisons split the first two sets, it was Manitoba who surged back in the third, putting away 15 kills and hitting .462 in the frame. They held the Heat to 12 kills (.286) and the Bisons took it 25-20 to go up 2-1 in the match. Neither side jumped way out ahead in the set until Adam DeJonckheere demolished three straight kills to give Manitoba a 24-19 lead, which they quickly converted for a set win by forcing another Heat attack error.
Manitoba took over late again in the final set, with DeJonckheere again heading up the attack and scoring the decisive points. The Bisons’ 24th and 25th points in the match-winning set came on kills from the fourth year hitter, and they clinched the weekend sweep with a 25-22 set win in the fourth.
Adam DeJonckheere led all hitters in the match, finishing with 20 kills (.529). Lars Bornemann once again led the Heat with 16 kills, second most in the match.
Much like the Friday night match, Saturday’s was consistently close statistically. Manitoba finished just ahead in kills (51-46), hit percentage (.210 – .202), assists (49-44), and digs (44-43), while UBC Okanagan finished ahead in service aces (4-3), reception errors (3-4), and total blocks (14-4).
The first set saw UBC Okanagan jump out to a lead early before letting Manitoba back in it about halfway through, and the Bisons rolled through to a 25-21 win. The Heat went up 5-1, then 10-3 before the Bisons attack really got going. Manitoba took advantage of Heat errors, before putting together a five-point run that brought them from down two (15-17) to a two-point lead (19-17). Three Manitoba kills and three UBC Okanagan errors closed out the first set for the Bisons.
UBC Okanagan rallied in the second set, taking it in convincing fashion 25-16. They took their first lead of the set at 3-2, and never gave it back. Five kills from Lars Bornemann and a surprising 15 errors by the Bisons gave the Heat a decided advantage in the second set.
The UBC Okanagan Heat (1-3) will play their next matches on the road, travelling to play the Mount Royal Cougars on November 18 & 19. The Manitoba Bisons (5-1) will play at home next weekend, hosting the University of Alberta Golden Bears.
~ Grayson Leahy, UBC Okanagan Heat