Burnaby's Brendan Yao made the most of his moment on the volleyball court for the University of Alberta men's team last weekend.
The Burnaby Mountain Secondary grad came off the bench to replace starter Erik Mattson and the young libero pitched in with 13 digs in Friday's 3-0 win over the UBC-Okanagan Heat and the same amount in Saturday's 3-1 win. Before this weekend, Yao, a libero, had made only a few serves this season and hadn't seen much game action other than in exhibition. But his 26 total digs last weekend were a series high for both teams.
"For him (Yao) to have his first opportunity on the floor starting, he did very well. I think that helped us out this weekend," Alberta head coach Terry Danyluk said in the Alberta university's Guardian newspaper.
Friday's match was a close one as the third-ranked Bears won each set by only two points. The Heat have three wins this season, all at home, and Danyluk said he expected them to put up a good fight as the majority of the team is made up of older players.
The Bears are a younger team with nine rookies and four new starters, and there have been players in and out of the lineup with injuries. But the Bears have a respectable record at 10-4, and this weekend's match-up against the 9-5 Calgary Dinos will secure them a spot in playoffs if they win.
