Box Score
MONTREAL --
Ashley Norfleet, a sophomore from Brossard, Que., had a game-high 19.5 points as McGill rallied from an 8-4 deficit in the final set to win 15-12 and upset the No.7-ranked Laval Rouge et Or 3-2 at Love Competition Hall, Sunday.
In what was almost a must-win affair for their playoff hopes, the Martlets came out hungry, winning the first two sets 25-21 and 25-19. But Laval, which was trying to catch first-place Montreal, roared back to take the next two, 25-15 and 25-21, forcing the rubber match.
Marie-Christine Lapointe, who amassed 32 digs on defence, spiked McGill's final point to snuff out any hopes of a Laval comeback. She had nine kills, an ace and 1.5 stuff blocks.
"Typically we haven't star'ted off that well but we did today," said McGill head coach
Rachele Beliveau. "We were very, very aggressive to start, in control and ready to fight hard for the win. We showed good mental toughness today and put pressure on the other team. It was a good team victory."
McGill held an astounding 131-54 advantage in digs, a 58-47 edge in kills, a 9-4 margin in aces and a 15-6 difference in stuff blocks.
Norfleet, a 5-foot-11 power-hitter, was one of five Martlets to reach double figures in scoring. She was credited with 17 kills, 2.5 blocks and collected 20 digs on defence.
Catherine Amyot and
Marie-Pier Durivage supplied efficient secondary scoring for McGill. Amyot posted 13 kills, one ace, 1.5 stuff blocks and dug up 24 balls. Durivage chipped in with 10 kills, 3.5 blocks and three digs.
Virginie Hebert contributed 14.5 points on seven kills, one ace and 6.5 blocks. She added eight digs on defence.
Daphnee-Maude Andre-Morin, a senior libero, had 24 digs and registered a 2.38 passing ratio out of 3.
Yasmeen Dawoodjee, the McGill setter, registered a whopping 49 assists to go with 14 digs.
For Laval, Audrey Poulin-Beaulieu led a balanced attack with 12 kills.
The victory moved McGill four points ahead of last-place Sherbrooke for the third and final post-season berth and reduced their magic number to one. Each team has two games remaining. McGill closes out their regular schedule at home to the Carabins (Jan. 31), followed by a road affair at Sherbrooke (Feb. 2) in in a contest that has the potential for a classic winner-take-all season finale. The Vert & Or also has a match with Laval on Jan. 31.
Montreal (14-3) has clinched the top spot and a first-round playoff bye. Laval (12-5) will finish second in the four-team conference and will have home-court advantage against either McGill (10-7) or Sherbrooke (8-9) in the league's best-of-three semiffinal.
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Ryne Bondy and
Earl Zukerman
McGill Sports Info Office
514-398-7012
|
Pos |
Équipe |
MJ |
V |
D |
SG |
SP |
PP |
PC |
PTS |
|
1 |
Montréal |
17 |
14 |
3 |
44 |
18 |
1431 |
1218 |
28 |
|
2 |
Laval |
17 |
12 |
5 |
44 |
26 |
1567 |
1371 |
24 |
|
3 |
McGill |
17 |
10 |
7 |
36 |
30 |
1478 |
1380 |
20 |
|
4 |
Sherbrooke |
17 |
8 |
9 |
35 |
35 |
1445 |
1474 |
16 |
|
|
MJ - Matchs joués ; V - Victoires ; D - Défaites ; SG - Sets gagnés ; SP - Sets perdus ; PP - Points pour ; PC - Points contre ; PTS - Points |
