KELOWNA, British Columbia– The Trinity Western Spartans held off a determined UBC Okanagan Heat squad to earn a 3-2 win Friday night at the UBC Okanagan Gym in Kelowna, B.C. The 23-25, 25-21, 25-17, 21-25, 15-12 win improves the No. 9 Spartans to 10-5, while the loss drops the Heat to 5-10.
 
Maryn Boldon with 19 kills, six digs, and two aces, and fifth-year middle Kaylee Plouffe (Sherwood Park, Alta.) with 17 kills, 11 digs, and three aces led the Spartans. Natalie Funk with 20 kills, 11 digs, and three aces, Korey Jenkins with 14 kills and 12 digs, and Madison Gardner with 10 kills, eight digs, four blocks, and three aces led the Heat.
 
TWU second-year setter Tayana Dmitruk (Surrey, B.C.) ran the Spartan attack, finishing with 38. UBC Okanagan's Kylan Finseth finished with 45 set assists.
 
UP NEXT
The Spartans will finish the two-game weekend series tomorrow afternoon at the UBC Okanagan Gym.  Match times are set for 4:30 p.m. (PT) and can be seen live on Canada West TV.
 
AS IT HAPPENED
The match began with the Spartans taking an early lead, highlighted by an ace from Emma Graca. The Heat responded with a series of points, including a key block and a kill by Korey Jenkins, to even the score at 8-8. After falling behind 23-17, the Spartans scrambled back and, after TWU's Sienna Driedger's consecutive service aces, were able to tie the score at 23-23. However, a service error gave UBCO a set point, followed by a block by Marija Josipovic and Madison Gardner that secured the 25-23 set win for the Heat.
 
Trinity Western secured a 25-21 victory in the second set and evened the match at 1-1. The two teams were even, 18-17 TWU, till the Spartans took over in the later stages. Maryn Boldon was instrumental in the final points, including one that extended TWU's lead to set point at 24-21. The set concluded with a final attack error by Josipovic, sealing TWU's win. The home team struggled to maintain momentum despite notable plays from Jenkins and Natalie Funk.
 
Boldon led the charge in the third set, contributing multiple kills, including the set-winning point, assisted by Dmitruk. Plouffe added a series of kills to extend the Spartans' lead, forcing a timeout from UBCO at 18-13. Despite several service errors from both teams, the Spartans maintained control, capitalizing on UBCO's attack errors. TWU secured a decisive third-set victory 25-17, to go up 2-1.
 
The Spartans fell short in the fourth set, falling, 25-21. The set began with the Heat capitalizing on a series of errors by the Spartans to take an 11-5 lead after a service ace by Ali Rathlef. Gardner played a pivotal role in UBCO's offense, contributing multiple kills, including the set-winning point from Kylan Finseth's assist. After trailing 22-13, TWU managed a late surge, narrowing the gap to 23-20, thanks to a service ace by Plouffe and a kill by Driedger. However, the Spartans were unable to get even as a service error concluded the set in favor of the Heat.
 
TWU secured the match with a 15-12 victory in the final set. Key plays included Plouffe's impressive performance, scoring three consecutive kills from assists by Dmitruk, and adding two service aces. The Spartans took control of the short set and extended their lead to 11-6. Despite a late push from UBCO, after trailing 14-8, highlighted by two service aces from Gardner, a service error by Gardner sealed the set, 15-12, and the match 3-2 for TWU.
 
NOTABLE

• The Spartans finished the night hitting at .244 (60-19-168), while the Heat finished at .226 (62-22-177).
• TWU had the edge in service aces 8-7 and digs 80-78, with both teams having 10 total blocks
• The Spartans are currently 33-6 lifetime against the Heat.
• Last year, the Spartans split with the Heat, winning 3-1 and losing 3-0 in Langley, B.C.
• The last loss broke a 16-game Spartan winning streak against the Heat.
• Last week, the Spartans split with the Brandon Bobcats, losing 3-1 and winning 3-0 in Brandon, Man.
• Last week, the Heat split with the Calgary Dinos, losing 3-2 and winning 3-2 in Kelowna, B.C.

About Spartan Athletics
As official members of U SPORTS, the Spartans currently compete in 11 sports in the Canada West conference, including women's and men's soccer, volleyball, basketball, hockey and track & field, as well as women's rugby sevens. TWU also competes as in the NAIA in track and field and cross country and as an independent team in men's rugby and women's and men's disc golf. Since TWU entered U SPORTS in 1999, the Spartans have won 14 U SPORTS team championships and 33 Canada West team championships.

About Trinity Western University
Recognized for quality, TWU has received seven consecutive A+ rankings for Quality of Teaching and Learning, holds three Canada Research Chairs, and wins national championships in U SPORTS. More importantly, lives are changed at TWU through its whole-person, Christ-centred approach to education. With a wide array of undergraduate, graduate, and adult degree-completion programs, TWU equips leaders of character and competence to make a positive impact in the lives of others.  
 
-TW-