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UBC Okanagan volleyball need wins to keep playoff hopes alive: sports weekend preview

Kelowna Rockets at home, West Kelowna Warriors continue road trip
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The UBCO Heat are hosting pride night on Friday, Feb. 10. (Conan Shing Photography)

It’s another busy weekend for Kelowna sports! Here’s what’s on the go:

UBCO Heat

The UBCO Heat volleyball teams are in action at the Furnace (UBCO Gymnasium) as they host their second annual Pride night on Friday.

“The event, which is being supported by UBC’s Equity Enhancement Fund, will feature a night of celebration and fundraising to support Etcetera, a 2SLGBTQIA+ youth group in Kelowna whose mission is to bring queer youth together in an intersectional, dynamic, and supportive space,” UBCO said in a release.

On top of fundraising initiatives, Heat pride t-shirts will be available for $20. There will also be a raffle and a paper plane contest. Heat sponsor, Lululemon, will also be at the game with a pride-themed 360-degree camera for fans. They also are provided the prize packages for the raffle and paper plane contests.

The men’s team plays at 5 p.m. while the women play at 7 p.m. against the MacEwen Griffins. Both teams need wins on the weekend to have a chance at the playoffs.

After the games, there will be a performance by drag queen Freida Whales.

Kelowna Rockets

After losing two weekday games a couple days ago, the Kelowna Rockets are back in action this weekend.

The Rockets lost those two games to the Prince George Cougars, who are now coming to Kelowna to finish a stretch of three games in four games against each other. Prince George’s high power offence was too much for the Rockets earlier this week as they won 5-1 and 7-2.

Going into the weekend, the Rockets are eighth in the WHL’s Western Conference with a record of 17-28-3-0. Prince George sits sixth at 23-21-4-0.

On Saturday, the Rockets welcome the Saskatoon Blades to town for their first trip to Prospera Place since 2018. They sit third in the Eastern Conference - 33-12-3-1.

Rockets captain Gabriel Szturc is going into the weekend with a five-game point streak. He has 10 points (four goals, six assists) in that span.

Kelowna will continue to be without Andrew Cristall, Ty Hurley, John Babcock, Marek Rocak, and Max Graham this weekend. They are all out with injuries.

Both Friday night and Saturday night’s puck drops are at 7:05 p.m.

West Kelowna Warriors

The West Kelowna Warriors are back on the road this weekend to play games five and six of their current seven game road trip.

After going down to the Lower Mainland last weekend, the Warriors get to stay in the Okanagan as they’re in Salmon Arm on Friday night and Vernon on Saturday night.

In 2023, the Warriors are 6-3, including a win and a loss against Salmon Arm in January. They currently sit third in the BCHL’s Interior Conference with a record of 22-13-4-0.

Salmon Arm is in fifth place in the conference with their 19-15-4-0 record while Vernon is seventh with a 18-18-0-4 record.

Friday night’s puck drop at the Shaw Centre in Salmon Arm is at 7 p.m. while Saturday’s puck drop at the Kal Tire Centre in Vernon is at 6 p.m.

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READ MORE: Prince George too much for Kelowna Rockets for second straight night


@cunninghamjordy
jordy.cunningham@kelownacapnews.com

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Jordy Cunningham

About the Author: Jordy Cunningham

Hailing from Ladner, B.C., I have been passionate about sports, especially baseball, since I was young. In 2018, I graduated from Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops with a Bachelor of Journalism degree
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