(Photo Credit: Greystoke Photography)
The No. 1 Heat women were finally taken down on Friday night in Calgary.
The Heat women's loss against the Mount Royal Cougars ended a 13-game winning streak with a weekend split, marking their first loss since November 1st against UBC. Mount Royal took the first set 25-22 with a strong lead from Fallon Middlemirss, who's graduating this year. The Heat came back strong in the second, dominating 20-10 on the first 30 rallies. Though the Cougars tried to fight back, they just couldn't beat the Heat's offense and lost the set 25-13. In that set, Emily Oxland served eight points in a row.
The Cougars started clawing their way back in the third, winning two big six point stretches in the middle. The Heat then fell behind, and the Cougars' Nicky Zalasky had an impressive kill to take the set 25-15. UBC Okanagan wasn't ready to be beat, coming back in the fourth with consistent rallies to win 25-17 and force a fifth. The Cougars had the momentum in the last frame, however, starting with a six point run and taking the set 15-7.
(Photo Credit: Greystoke Photography)
Mount Royal advanced to 5-17 with the game, while the No. 1 Heat fell to 17-5. The Heat are still leading the Canada West and are also first in the CIS.
The Heat men also fell to the Cougars, losing the night with three straight sets. The first set started off close with points bouncing back and forth for a 10-10 tie. However, some long rallies soon gave the Cougars a quick lead, helping them win the set 25-19. The second set had similar rhythm until the Cougars took a lead in the middle to beat the Heat 25-14.
(Photo Credit: Greystoke Photography)
Though the Heat tried to keep the match going in the third, an early lead by the Cougars gave them the final set, 25-18. Jim Bell led the Heat with 13 kills, while Lars Bornemann had eight. Both players had three block assists in the match. The Cougars kept their playoff hopes alive with the win, improving to 11-11 while the Heat fell to 6-15.
The Heat are returning to Kelowna to host their final matches of the season against the Brandon Bobcats.
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