The UBC Okanagan gym will be rocking this weekend when two of nation’s top teams collide to close out the first semester of the Canada West women’s volleyball season.
The fourth-ranked and hometown Heat will battle the No. 5 University of Calgary Dinos on Friday and Saturday nights at the UBC Okanagan campus gym.
With 7-1 records, there isn’t a whole lot to choose—on paper or on the court—between the two Canada West rivals.
Heat coach Steve Manuel said his team is looking forward to the challenge.
“I think it’s a great test going for us going into the break, it should give us a real idea of where we stand, and what we need to work on,” Manuel said.
“It’s great timing, awesome at this time of year to see a strong opponent like Calgary come into our gym.
“We’ve had a good semester so far, we’ll see if we can finish it off strong.”
The Heat and Dinos are part of what is once again a dogfight atop the Canada West conference.
Alberta leads the way at 8-0, with UBCO, Calgary and Trinity Western each just a game back.
Five-year Heat veterans Emily Oxland and Megan Festival will also be looking to add to their conference career-best totals for service aces.
Oxland, who broke the former Canada West record of 138 last weekend in Regina, has 142, while Festival is right behind with 139.
UBCO and Calgary will meet Friday at 6 p.m. and Saturday at 5 p.m. at the Kelowna campus gym.
Meanwhile, the Heat men will be looking to build off last weekend’s sweep of Regina when they host Calgary on Friday at 8 p.m. and Saturday at 7 p.m.
UBCO (3-5) sits ninth spot in the conference, while the Dinos (2-6) are in 10th.
Heat basketball…
The Heat basketball teams will be in Vancouver this weekend for their final Canada West games before the Christmas break.
UBC Okanagan will visit the UBC Thunderbirds Friday and Saturday at War Memorial Gymnasium.
The Heat women are 2-6 this season, while the UBCO men sit at 1-7.