Western News Staff
Penticton’s Nate Speijer has been named a Canada West second star for his play Nov. 2 to 3.
Speijer, a Pen High grad, plays for the UBC Okanagan Heat men’s volleyball team and helped them notch their first win of the 2013-14 season on Nov. 3. After losing to the Mount Royal Cougars in five sets Saturday, the Heat rallied for a 3-0 win the following day in Kelowna. Speijer had a strong outing in the five-set loss, which was nearly a spectacular comeback after dropping the opening two sets 25-15, 25-9. He tallied 25 kills, 11 digs and 26.5 points, but it was not enough to push his team to victory. On Sunday, with the Cougar defence keyed on Speijer from the opening serve, trying everything to stop the Heat’s top offensive player, he was still able to generate 23 points on offence. He had 20 kills at a 35 per cent rate with 11 digs and two service aces to complete the impressive stat line.
Speijer is tops in the nation in kills per set (5.87), points per set (6.3) and third in total kills with 88, even with 10 less sets played compared to total kills leader Ray Szeto from York University.