The UBC Okanagan Heat welcomed the University of the Fraser Valley women's volleyball team to Canada West on Friday evening, topping the Cascades in three sets in Kelowna.
In the Cascades' Canada West debut, it was the Heat prevailing by scores of 25-20, 25-21, 25-20.
The UFV squad (0-1) gets another crack at its initial CW victory as they wrap up the weekend set with the Heat (1-0) on Saturday afternoon (3 p.m., CanadaWest.tv presented by Co-op).
"I think we just had a hard time finding ourselves tonight," Cascades head coach
Janelle Rozema analyzed afterward. "UBCO played a really strong match and definitely made us feel uncomfortable. We talked a lot (post-game) about how we have to perform when a team is making you uncomfortable, because that's how the game is played at this level."
The Cascades had a nice start to the match, scoring the first two points – their first point in CW play came off the right hand of
Amanda Matsui, who hammered the ball off the UBCO block and out of bounds. The Heat, though, would rally in short order to grab the lead, and they kept the Cascades at bay for the balance of the set.
UFV opened the second set with some tough serving and opened a 5-1 advantage, but dealt with some adversity as standout left side Matsui exited due to injury. The Heat, meanwhile, were clicking on offence and were able to find some traction and pull away late.
"We lose not just a point scorer, but also a leader," Rozema said, reflecting on Matsui's exit. "Because we are a young team, when you lose a player who's a little older and the young players are looking for solutions, it takes one of your experienced players out of the mix."
The Cascades had some positive momentum in the third and were up 13-10 after a
Grace Warkentin ace, but the Heat took control and closed out the match.
UBC Okanagan was the more efficient squad offensively, hitting .286 as a team to the Cascades' -.014.
Kristen McBride and
Sadie Wilson led the UFV squad with four kills apiece, with McBride's coming on just seven swings with two errors for a .286 hitting percentage. Setter
Cailin Bitter paced the Cascades with eight digs and five block assists.
The Heat had three players with double-figure kills: Sydney Grills (13), Jade Bussard (11) and Amaya Perry (10).
"I hope we just feel a little bit more like ourselves on Saturday," Rozema said. "We're more familiar with the space and the team we're playing against, and hopefully it will bring us more comfort. Tomorrow, we have to execute the game plan."
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