The UBC Okanagan Heat women’s volleyball team was bounced from the Canada West playoffs in a straight-sets loss to UBC last weekend, but their season will continue.
Elphinstone grad Michelle Jakszuk, in her fifth year with UBCO, had a team-high six kills as well as 12 digs in the tough loss.
A quarterfinal sweep of the University of Manitoba Bisons the week before, however, earned the Heat a spot in the U-Sports National Championship tournament, which starts March 16 in Laval, Que.
As well as getting a shot at a national title, Jakszuk is closing out her university career as a conference all star. The all stars were named Feb. 27.
The outside hitter has been one of the team leaders this season, posting some of her best numbers.
Jakszuk played in all 24 matches for the Heat and was number one on the squad in kills, with 246. On defence she had 228 digs and 51 blocks. And, overall she managed 291 points on the season.
Another Elphinstone grad, Taylor Whittall of Roberts Creek, saw her rookie season come to an end Feb. 22, when the College of the Rockies Avalanche lost in four sets to the University of Fraser Valley in the quarterfinals of PacWest provincial championship.
Whittall, an outside hitter, had eight kills for the match, and finished the season with 150 digs in 56 sets for the Avalanche.
