KELOWNA, B.C. — The UBCO Heat women's volleyball team (1-3) took the opening set off the U SPORTS No. 1-ranked Alberta Pandas (4-0) on Saturday before falling in four sets at the UBCO Gymnasium with set scores of 25-19, 13-25, 16-25, 13-25.

Natalie Funk led her team with nine kills and added eight digs, contributing significantly to their defence. Kylan Finseth facilitated the offence by recording 24 assists and served two aces, enhancing their serve-receive game. Faith Solecki added seven kills and four digs, providing balanced play on both sides of the ball.

Sophia Magus led the University of Alberta's performance with 32 assists and added four kills while maintaining a .667 hitting percentage. Laila Johnston excelled offensively with 12 kills and a .500 hitting percentage, alongside three total blocks.

The Heat opened the first set with a balanced attack, capitalizing on Alberta's errors to secure a 25-19 victory. Finseth was instrumental, assisting on multiple kills and contributing to the team's service success, including two aces. Despite Alberta's efforts, including a notable kill by Pool, their five service errors and ball handling issues hindered momentum. UBCO maintained the lead throughout the period, effectively closing out the set.

Alberta responded in the second set with a strong performance, highlighted by a significant 10-2 run that included two service aces and multiple blocks from Magus and Ronnie Dickson. UBCO struggled to get much going in attack but did get an ace from Rathlef and kills from Funk and Kirsten Hill. The Pandas would ultimately claim the frame to even the match at one.

The Pandas carried their momentum over into the third set, leveraging a series of service aces and capitalizing on UBCO's errors. Alberta's strong serving was highlighted by three service aces, including pivotal ones from Dickson and Magus. Despite UBCO's efforts, which included two service aces, their momentum was hindered by struggles in attack, allowing Alberta to maintain control throughout the set.

Alberta would take that momentum from two set wins to claim the third set and the match. Alberta's strong start included a 3-0 advantage propelled by Dickson's service ace and a block. The Pandas' Henderson contributed significantly with multiple kills and three service aces during the set, which helped maintain their lead. UBCO managed to score through Funk's attacks, but could not keep the final set within reach.