Volleyball Martlets stumble in Sherbrooke

Marjolaine Ste-Marie

Box Score
SHERBROOKE, Que. -- Roxane Hasseni registered a game-high 18 points, with 14 kills and four aces as the Sherbrooke Vert & Or rallied to defeat visiting McGill 3-1 in a key women's volleyball match at the Pavillon Univestrie, Friday. The Martlets took the opening set 25-21 but Sherbrooke, which won for the first time in four head-to-head meetings this season, roared back to win in straight sets, 25-17, 25-21 and 25-22.

"We played well in the first set and played a good game in general but Sherbrooke played better," said McGill head coach Rachele Beliveau. "It was a very good battle out there but our offence did not produce the way we expected and Sherbrooke blocked really well."

Ashley Norfleet, a third-year power-hitter from Brossard, Que., paced the Martlets with 14.5 points, collecting a team-high 13 kills and 1.5 stuff blocks to go along with 19 digs. Marjolaine Ste-Marie, the sophomore libero from St. Lambert, Que., and Yasmeen Dawoodjee, a senior setter from Ottawa, led the team in digs with 25 and 24, respectively, with the latter adding three aces and 34 assists. Junior Catherine Amyot, also from Ottawa, contributed five kills, one ace and 19 digs.

It was a costly setback for the Martlets, in more ways than one.

Firstly, with only five matches remaining before playoffs, Sherbrooke (10-4) pole-vaulted past McGill into a tie for second place in the RSEQ conference standings, sending the Martlets tumbling into the cellar in the four-team conference with a 9-5 mark. The top three teams qualify for post-season play and McGill is one win behind Sherbrooke and Laval (10-3), two wins in arrears of division-leading Montreal (11-2).

Secondly, the team lost the services of Charlotte Clarke, a promising six-foot middle blocker from Guelph, Ont., who had four kills, four digs and three stuff blocks before landing awkwardly on her left foot in the second set. She suffered what appeared to be a torn anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee and is out for the remainder of the season. It was only the fourth outing of the campaign for Clarke, a physical education junior who had recently returned to the lineup after recovering from a torn ACL in her right knee last year.

"She had been looking very good in practice and really merited more playing time," said Beliveau. "It's really too bad because she really brings a positive energy to the team and we were leading at the time of the injury."

Beliveau also gave an injury update on all-star libero Daphnee-Maude Andre-Morin, who will not be returning this semester as expected. A fifth-year veteran from Kitchener, Ont., who is in the first year of a master's program, is still suffering from an early-season concussion and the medical staff felt it best that she refrain from playing.

There is a silver lining in the clouds that seem to hover over this team. The Martlets still control their own destiny with three of their five remaining contests at home. They play at Montreal on Jan. 23, then return to the friendly confines of Love Competition Hall for matchups with Montreal (Jan. 30), Laval (Jan. 31) and the all-important final confrontation with Sherbrooke (Feb. 6). McGill will close the regular season at Laval on Feb. 7.

Short Box Score
(16 jan. 15 at Sherbrooke, Qc)

Sherbrooke def. McGill 3-1 (21-25, 25-17, 25-21, 25-22)

McGill (Kills-aces-blocks) - Ashley Norfleet 13-0-2; Virginie
Hebert 5-1-0; Catherine Amyot 5-1-0; Myriam Robitaille 4-1-1;
Charlotte Clarke 4-0-4; Marie-Eve Dorion 3-3-1; Marie-Pier Durivage
3-0-0; Emilie Matte de Grasse 2-0-0; Erika Cournoyer 1-0-1; Yasmeen
Dawoodjee 0-3-1; Totals 40-9-7.0. (Assists) - Yasmeen Dawoodjee 34.
(Dig leaders) - Marjolaine Ste-Marie 25; Yasmeen Dawoodjee 24;
Catherine Amyot 19; Ashley Norfleet 19; Marie-Eve Dorion 13; Myriam
Robitaille 11

Sherbrooke (Kills-aces-blocks) - Roxane Hasseni 14-1-4;
Anne-Julie D'Auteuil 11-1-7; Camille Charest-G. 8-0-1; Cather.
Deslauriers 5-0-0; Rosalie Coderre 3-0-6; Kim Robitaille 1-0-1;
Veronique David 1-0-2; Totals 43-2-12.0. (Assists) - Rosalie Coderre
37. (Dig leaders) - Joanie Whittom 27; Cather. Deslauriers 21; Camille
Charest-G. 21; Roxane Hasseni 16; Rosalie Coderre 11; Kim Robitaille
10

Site: Sherbrooke, Qc (Pavillon Univestrie)

Date: 16 jan. 15     Attend: 250   Time: 1:53

Referees: Rene Marechal, Julien Duranleau