UBC Okanagan Athletic Scoreboard

Heat dispatch VIU Mariners, finish league play at #1

Men's Volleyball

Saturday February 5, 2011

UBC Okanagan Gym - Kelowna BC

UBC Okanagan Heat (13-1) defeat the VIU Mariners (8-6) in 3 straight sets.

(25-19, 26-24, 25-19)

·         Chris Howe named the Landmark Cinema - Eastside Mario’s Heat Player of the Game

KELOWNA, BC – The UBC Okanagan Men’s Volleyball team proved Saturday night that they’re still the top dogs not only in the province, but the whole nation. They dispatched the Vancouver Island University Mariners 3 sets to none behind a strong performance from Chris Howe, who returned for the first time from an injury before the winter break. Howe was named the Landmark Cinemas/East Side Mario’s Player of the Game behind a solid defensive outing that tallied 4 blocks, as well as adding 5 kills as part of the team’s potent offense. “It’s great to have Chris back,” said starting Libero Spencer Brown. “He brings a lot of energy to the game.”

The Heat cruised to a relatively easy win in the first set, putting away the Mariners 25-17. The Heat got a scare in the 2nd set, however. They had the opportunity to ice the win while at 24-21 but instead found themselves tied 24-24 with the Mariners. At this point Head Coach Greg Poitras called timeout, allowing his players to gather themselves and come back for the win, 26-24.

The Mariners tried to hold onto the energy they gained from the previous set, but the Heat’s energy on the court was off the charts, between players like Mark Broome shouting in excitement after every play to the usually quiet mannered Coach Poitras getting up and clapping his hands loudly together. The team fed off the excitement and energy that came from the crowd, helping them cruise to their 25-19 win in the 3rd, sweeping the Mariners 3-0 and improving their record to 13-1. “It’s always great to play in front of a great crowd,” said Aleks Bergen. “After last night we weren’t too happy with ourselves, so we felt that we had to come out tonight and put on a good show to prove that we deserve our number one ranking.”

The Heat are heading into the BCCAA Championships as the obvious and heavy favorites. The team is finally healthy, jelling at the right time, and confident in themselves. “When we play well we can put pressure on any team and dominate just about anybody,” said Howe.

The team has two weeks off now before hosting Provincials at home at the UBC Okanagan gymnasium, and will be using a lot of that time to practice and stay sharp. But first, the top dogs in the country are going to celebrate the success of another great season.

Check out the Volleyball teams February 24-26 in the 2011 BCCAA Volleyball Championships.