Wins have been few and far between for the UBC Okanagan Heat in their inaugural CIS season, and that trend continued Friday night.
Three of the four Heat teams tasted defeat, including a sweep of both basketball squads at the hands of the visiting Victoria Vikes.
The volleyball teams split in Saskatoon, with the Heat women earning UBCO's lone win while the men also lost to the University of Saskatchewan Huskies.
From a positive standpoint, the women's volleyball team, with nothing to lose having already been eliminated from the Canada West playoff picture, made quick work of the Huskies by winning 3-0 (25-23, 26-24, 25-20).
UBCO outside hitter Myrte Schön was impressive on the night, tallying a match-high 15 kills and six digs for the Heat. Libero Lenai Schmidt, a third-year player from Vernon, had 13 digs, while setter Chandler Proch, a sophomore from Kelowna, had 28 assists.
"We played a solid match and were able to keep an even flow throughout," said Heat coach Steve Manuel. "Myrte's been injured and playing the last few weeks with a pulled abdominal. She's been taped up and she hasn't been able to reach back and swing at the ball. She's feeling a lot better, she's worked through it and I think she's pretty much over it. She's able to get that extra five or 10 per cent jump in her swing and that's the difference."
With the win, the Heat improved to 4-13, while the Huskies were still in search of their first win at 0-17 heading into Saturday's rematch (result not available at press time).
"We had a couple of players step up and carry the offensive load, but everyone chipped in to get the job done tonight," added Manuel. "I like how we adjusted to what they were doing. Once we started keying in on their tendencies we were able to do some things tactically that made the difference."
The men's volleyball result was much the opposite as UBCO's playoff hopes took a hit in a lacklustre 3-0 (25-16, 25-13, 25-23) loss to the Huskies (4-13).
The Heat (5-12) now need to win their last three games, including Saturday's rematch, and have the Winnipeg Wesmen (7-12) lose to the Manitoba Bisons (15-2) in order to make the playoffs.
On the hoops front, the outlook isn't any better for the Heat, with both teams sporting 2-13 records after home losses to Victoria.
The men fell 76-49, while the women were bounced 74-46 at UBCO, with rematches slated for Saturday (results not available).