CLEARWATER, Fla. -- A day after opening the Innisbrook Invitational women's volleyball tournament with a tough 3-2 setback to McMaster, the No. 9-ranked McGill Martlets swept both Brandon and Brock on New Year's Eve.
 
In the first match of the day, McGill disposed of the Bobcats, who were forced through injury troubles to deploy CIS libero of the year Donata Huebert as both a setter and left side. The set scores were 25-20, 25-19 and 25-18.
 
Junior Marie-Eve Dorion, a 5-foot-10 power-hitter from St. Hubert, Que., led McGill with 11 kills in the victory, while six-foot middle blocker Myriam Robitaille, a sophomore from Terrebonne, Que., posted a well-rounded performance with 10 kills, five blocks and three digs.  Marjolaine Ste-Marie of St. Lambert, Que., contributed 16 digs and was the team's top passer with a 2.30 passing ratio. Team captain Yasmeen Dawoodjee, a fifth-year setter from Ottawa, added 33 assists, six digs, one kill and a pair of aces.
 
Brandon's Shanlee McKinnon stood out in a losing effort, contributing 12 kills and two aces.
 
Blocking and steadiness from the service line helped the Martlets build a 10-5 lead in the first set, and despite seeing that advantage shrink to just two points at the technical timeout, McGill recovered well after the break. The Bobcats drew within three points at 22-19, before McGill reeled off three of the next four points to clinch the set.
 
After a neck-and-neck start to the second set, McGill began to assert their dominance and took a six-point advantage into the technical timeout. The Martlets remained consistent, and gave the Bobcats little room to close the gap, eventually wining 25-19.
 
Facing elimination, Brandon took an 11-7 lead in the third set as the teams headed toward the technical timeout. But the Martlets rattled off a huge 9-3 run to take a 16-14 lead at the break and cruised to a 25-18 victory.
 
A few hours later, the Martlets completed their doubleheader sweep with a 25-13, 25-20, 27-25 conquest over the Brock Badgers.
 
Catherine Amyot, a senior from Montreal, led the Martlets with a balanced performance that included 10 kills, four aces and a block, along with 10 digs and a 2.27 passing ratio. Ste-Marie had an even better passing performance at 2.42 to go along with nine digs. Dawoodjee collected 26 assists, three kills, two aces and a pair of digs.
 
For the Badgers, Brianna Hamilton was solid in defeat, posting seven kills and five digs.
 
Crisp from the opening whistle, McGill scored six of the match's first seven points to put Brock firmly on the back foot. That dominance continued into the technical timeout, where the Martlets held a 16-7 lead. Strong hitting from Amyot helped McGill run away with the first set by a 12-point margin.
 
After a strong McGill start to the second set, Brock battled back to within two points at 16-14 through kills from middle Shaniah Wielink. That was as close as the Badgers got, however, as a pivotal service run from Dorion propelled the Martlets to a 23-19 lead, then finished up.
 
A three-point run to begin the third set staked Brock to an early lead but more steady service helped McGill to embark on a 14-4 run to gain control enroute to a 16-10 lead at the technical timeout. But the Badgers showed considerable fight with their backs against the wall, as a trio of aces from Alexis Gregorio and blocking from Abby Jenkins moved the OUA side to within a point at 18-17.
 
A rash of McGill errors allowed Brock to take a 21-20 lead, before the Martlets eventually saw out the set and match in extra points when an Amyot kill and McGill ace closed the soiree at 27-25.
 
The teams enjoy a day off on New Year's Day, before returning to action on Jan. 2 with McGill meeting 10th-ranked Sherbrooke.
 
Innisbrook Invitational Volleyball Tournament Results
 
Wednesday, Dec. 30, 2015
McMaster  defeated  Brock 3-0 (25-13, 25-18, 25-12)       
Sherbrooke defeated Brandon 3-0 (25-21, 25-18, 25-20)
McMaster defeated McGill 3-2 (10-25, 25-18, 20-25, 25-21, 15-11)
 
Thursday, Dec. 31, 2015
McGill defeated Brandon 3-0 (25-20, 25-19, 25-18)   
Sherbrooke defeated McMaster 3-0 (26-24, 25-18, 25-19)
McGill defeated Brock 3-0 (25-13  25-20, 27-25)
 
SOURCE:

Fraser Caldwell, McMaster University
caldwef@mcmaster.ca
(905) 518-9937
 
 
Earl Zukerman, McGill University
earl.zukerman@mcgill.ca
(514) 398-7012
 
SEE COMPLETE McGILL VARSITY SCHEDULE ONLINE AT:
www.mcgillathletics.ca/calendar.aspx