KELOWNA, British Columbia– The No. 2 Trinity Western Spartans came from behind to defeat the No. 3 UBC Okanagan Heat in a five-set marathon Friday night at the UBC Okanagan Gym in Kelowna, B.C. The 21-25, 27-25, 20-25, 25-15, 15-11 win improves the Spartans to 13-2, while the loss drops the Heat to 13-2. Despite having the same record, the Spartans remain in third place, trailing the Heat by one point, 37-36.
 
Fourth-year outside Kaden Schmidt (Mississauga, Ont.) with 23 kills, two digs, and two blocks, fifth-year middle Cory Schoenherr (Waterloo, Ont.) with 11 kills and seven blocks, and fourth-third-year libero Tate Calles (Anacortes, Wash.) with 22 digs led the Spartans. Seba Manuel, with 16 kills and four digs, and Xander van Driel, with 14 kills and nine digs, led the Heat.
 
Fifth-year setter Anselm Rein (Erfurt, Germany) ran the Spartans' attack and finished with 42 set assists to go with six aces, six digs, and four blocks. Zach van Geel finished the night with 45 assists to go with 10 digs while running the Heat's offence.
 
UP NEXT
The Spartans will finish the two-game weekend series tomorrow afternoon at the UBC Okanagan Gym.  Match times are set for 6:30 p.m. (PT) and will be available to watch live on Canada West TV.
 
QUOTABLE
Adam Schriemer, TWU Head Coach
"Going into the match, we talked about how we'll have to side out and have fun with a team that serves in as much as they do. I think we did that for the most part tonight.  We earned a lot of points in first ball.  We also talked about how this is a team that, when they're knocked out of system, plays very safely and all have to be clean and transition.  The hard part was that we weren't as clean in executing as much as we could in transition until late in the game. From the fourth set, we finally started to calm down a little bit and slow them down.  But before that, they had everything they wanted offensively.  Part of the turnaround was just Tate's performance tonight; technically, he was incredible.  It's not often that a libero can impact the game as much as Tate did tonight. He did a lot, just getting a lot of good stuff for us in reception.  This UBCO team is very good, and to get a win on the road in their house is a really big deal.  So, we are pumped about this win, but we have another hard one tomorrow we'll be ready for."
 
AS IT HAPPENED
The opening set was even early on with the Heat leading 12-11. UBC Okanagan got the upper hand with a 5-0 run to lead 17-11 after a TWU attack error. The Spartans attempted a comeback, narrowing the gap to 22-19, highlighted by a service ace from Willem Van Huizen. However, UBC Okanagan clinched the set 25-21 following a block on Jyden Dmitruk's attack, securing the final point.
 
Trinity Western gained an early advantage in the second set, with Jackson Corneil and Dmitruk contributing key kills that helped establish a 5-1 lead. The defensive efforts of Cory Schoenherr and Van Huizen resulted in consecutive blocks against Lucas Woelders, further extending the lead. Despite a rally from UBC Okanagan that brought them within a point at 17-16, the Spartans maintained the upper hand. TWU's Schmidt secured the final two points with consecutive kills from Anselm Rein's assists, concluding the set 27-25 to tie the match at 1-1.
 
The third set saw a strong performance from UBC Okanagan as the Heat quickly jumped out to an 18-10 lead after a kill by Xander van Driel. Despite a late push from the Spartans with back-to-back service aces by Schmidt, BCO maintained their lead, 19-14. TWU was unable to get closer as van Driel secured the final point to give UBCO the set 25-20 and a 2-1 set lead.
 
The Spartans dominated the fourth set, earning a 25-15 win. The set saw an impressive performance from Rein, who contributed multiple service aces and assists, including a key service ace that put the TWU up 21-15. Schmidt and Schoenherr were instrumental at the net, blocking attacks and registering kills. Despite a brief rally by UBC Okanagan, the set concluded with a kill by Van Huizen to tie the match at 2-2.
 
In the decisive fifth set, TWU took the match with a 15-11 win over UBC Okanagan. The early exchanges saw both teams capitalize on errors, with UBCO taking a slight 4-1 lead after Schmidt made an error. TWU quickly responded, leveling the score at 6-6 with consecutive kills by Schmidt, assisted by Van Huizen. A timeout by the Heat at 7-6 could not halt TWU's momentum, as they extended their lead to 12-8 following a series of attack errors from UBCO's Thys Weststrate. Corneil and Rein's blocking efforts proved crucial, securing the final points and sealing the set and match for the Spartans.
 
NOTABLE

• The Spartans finished the night hitting at .259 (56-18-147), while the Heat finished at .215 (55-23-149).
• TWU had the edge in service aces 11-3 and blocks 11-9.
• UBCO was better in digs 57-56.
• The Spartans are currently 47-5 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 six-game Spartan conference winning streak against the Heat.
• Last week, the Spartans swept with the Brandon Bobcats, winning 3-1 and 3-0 in Brandon, Man.
• The Spartans are currently on a six-game conference winning streak.
• Last week, the Heat swept with the Calgary Dinos, winning 3-0 both nights in Kelowna, B.C.
• The Heat were on a 10-game winning streak, prior to tonight, their last loss was 3-1 on November 1 to the Alberta Golden Bears 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.  
 
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