RECAP: Heat men fall to Spartans in first home match of 2017

Returning to the UBC Okanagan gymnasium for the first time since the winter break, the Heat were bested by visiting #1 Trinity Western. Back at it tomorrow at 7 p.m.

FINAL	                1	2	3	SCORE
Trinity Western (14-1)	25	25	25	3
UBC Okanagan (4-11)	21	17	17	0

KELOWNA, BC - In their first home match of the 2017 calendar, the UBC Okanagan Heat men’s volleyball team lost to the national-number-one Trinity Western Spartans 3-0 on Friday night. Set scores were 25-21, 25-17, and 25-17.

The kills were relatively even in the match, with final tallies putting the Spartans ahead 35-29. Trinity held a larger advantage in hitting percentage, though, as they finished with .348 while holding the Heat to .247.

Trinity Western’s Ryan Sclater was the match leader in kills, finishing with 14. Behind him for the Spartans were Jacob Kern and Blake Scheerhoorn, who each had six.

Lars Bornemann was the best Heat hitter on the night, finishing with nine kills and a hitting percentage of .333. Alex Swiatlowski finished with six kills, and Kyle Hinchey and Joshua Harvey each had five.

The first set started with the Spartans quickly taking control, stringing together six straight points to go up 9-2. The Heat scored three straight to make it 12-8, but Trinity didn’t let up as they jumped ahead 16-10 at the technical time-out. UBC Okanagan scored three consecutive points just once, but only allowed the Spartans to score back-to-back points once after the break, as Trinity Western scored their final two points on consecutive kills from Blake Scheerhoorn and Pearson Eshenko.

The second set saw the Spartans jump ahead early again, scoring the first three points on three kills. A four-point run that included three Heat attack errors put the visitors up 10-5, before the Heat put away five straight to pull within two at 14-12. The Spartans were up 16-13 at the technical time-out, and a pair of three-point runs were the difference from then on as the visitors rolled to the 25-17 set win.

The third set was much the same as the first two, as the Spartans came out swinging. A three- and a four-point run put Trinity up 7-4, and they held a 16-11 lead at the technical time-out. Another three-point run that included two Ryan Sclater kills and a service ace from Aaron Boettcher stretched the lead to 19-12, before the Spartans scored their final point on a Heat service error to close it out 25-17.

The Heat (4-11) and the Spartans (14-1) will play again Saturday night, with first serve set to go at 7 p.m. in the UBC Okanagan gymnasium.

~ Grayson Leahy, UBC Okanagan