Women's Volleyball
Friday January 14, 2011
UBC Okanagan Gym - Kelowna BC
UBC Okanagan Heat (8-1) defeats the Columbia Bible College Bearcats (3-6) in 3 straight sets.
(25-18, 25-23, 25-21)
· Alex Basso was name the Landmark Cinema - Eastside Mario’s Heat Player of the Game
KELOWNA, BC –At the close of 1st semester the Heat women’s volleyball team had a win streak that “had lasted 665 days”, according to the team’s Head Coach Steve Manuel. Friday night they hosted the Columbia Bible College Bearcats, eager for the opportunity to come out strong and avenge the loss. The Heat’s Alex Basso was named the Landmark Cinemas/Eastside Mario’s Player of the Game.
The Heat took 3 straight sets (25-18, 25-23 and 25-21) and the match, but their task was not easy. There were several stretches across all 3 sets where the score was point-for-point and the Bearcats gave the Heat a good scare when they got ahead as much as 11-3 at one point in the 2nd set. Strong defensive play by the Bearcats, including several timely blocks, kept the high-octane offense of the Heat off-balance to start each set. Each time, however, the Heat eventually found their offensive groove and were able to put the game away.
“We got really tentative, afraid to swing, afraid to attack the ball,” Basso, Outside Hitter for the Heat, commented in regards to the team’s struggles early in the match against the Bearcats. When struggling on the court Basso also noted that Coach Manuel would “just tell us not to be tentative, and to swing and to attack. He knows we can play our best.”
Although the end of the team’s longest ever win streak, including wins against 37 consecutive CCAA opponents, it was never a focus of the team’s. “During that time it was never about the numbers, we simply trained and prepared to be better each time out. When we finally lost a match back in November it was disappointing because we did not play better that day than we had the previous day. But again putting everything in perspective, our goal of defending our provincial and national titles is every bit within reach as ever. Our players are training extremely hard, making the sacrifices that elite athletes must make and preparing for our upcoming matches.........same as we always do.”
The effort that brought the Heat the win Friday night was definitely the same as they always do. “During that [unbeaten streak] our student athletes showed an incredible amount of dedication and discipline,” Manuel noted of his team.
Basso made comment that the win felt good, especially to open the second semester. “It’s hard coming back after Christmas holidays and not playing for two months,” she said. Though satisfied with the win, she added that “I think we still have a lot of things to work on.”
The Women’s team is set to host the University of the Fraser Valley Cascades Saturday night in the second of back-to-back games over the weekend.
No comments:
Post a Comment