Abbotsford, BC – The U SPORTS No. 4 ranked UFV Cascades managed to fend off a late comeback attempt from the UBC Okanagan Heat on Friday night at the UFV Athletic Centre. After the Cascades took the opening two sets, the Heat battled back to force a decisive fifth, but UFV finished strong to close out the match (25-17, 25-19, 21-25, 24-26, 15-11) and capture their 10^th consecutive Canada West match victory.

UFV shot out to comfortable leads on their way to take the first two sets. The Cascades looked to be on their way to a three-set sweep as they built a 17-10 lead in the third, but UBCO fought back with a 15-4 run to take the set.

The Cascades had another chance to close it out with a 24-20 lead in the fourth, but six straight points from the Heat extended the match again.

UFV took a 13-9 lead in the final frame, and the Cascades finally found a way to seal the match with a pair of Mo Likness kills.

Top performers
Cascades libero Emily Matsui had a tremendous match for the home side, as she notched a career-high 28 digs. She stood out on the defensive side all night with a number of highlight reel plays to keep the ball alive.

Gabrielle Attieh paced the Cascades offence with 18 kills and three aces in the effort, while setter Cailin Bitter picked up 40 assists, and Mo Likness notched a team-high nine blocks.

Jade Bussard led the Heat with 17 kills and two aces on the night, while Abigail Dueck had 41 assists, and Sydney Grills picked up 15 digs.

Quotable
UFV middle Alicja Hardy-Francis

"I think we came out pretty strong, and as the match went on they kind of came back, but I think it's pretty cool the way our team came together to get the win."

"No matter what happens we are going to be together, and no matter what kind of pressure we are under we just know that we are going to fight together."

Where they sit
UFV extends their win streak to 10 games and improves their record to 14-5 this season. Meanwhile the Heat fall to 8-11 on the year.  

The two teams face off again in the rematch on Saturday afternoon. First serve is scheduled for 5 p.m. at the UFV Athletic Centre.