QUEBEC CITY -- Catherine Amyot of Montreal scored a game-high 23.5 points and Marjolaine Ste-Marie of St. Lambert, Que., registered 33 digs, but it was all for naught as the Laval Rouge et Or mounted a spectacular comeback to defeat ninth-ranked McGill 3-2 in women's university volleyball at the Centre PEPS on Saturday. After winning the first two sets 25-17 and 25-20, the Martlets dropped the next three 24-26, 17-25, and 12-15.

Amyot registered 18 kills, four service aces and three assisted blocks.

Despite a heartbreaking setback to the fourth-place Laval squad, McGill still won three of four meetings in the season series against their provincial rivals, a periennial powerhouse that eliminated the Martlets from playoff participation last spring.

"For the first two sets we were in control of the game," said McGill head coach Rachele Beliveau. "We didn't play badly in the third set but we made little mistakes where we lost concentration. We opened the door for Laval, allowing them to build confidence and come back. After that we played pretty well but Laval just got better and better. By the end of the game, I think we were just short of energy."

McGill was the better team on paper as the Martlets claimed a 64-50 advantage in kills, an 86-67 margin in digs, a 9-5 difference in stuff blocks and a 9-7 edge in service aces.

"We had a really good game in terms of number of kills," Beliveau noted. "Our setter (Yasmeen Dawoodjee) had 49 assists, and we passed quite well. We lost due to the lack of being able to push towards the end. By the final sets, we were not as confident as in the beginning and we kept taking the same shots -- we didn't take risks."

Emilie Matte de Grasse, a physical education sophomore from Montreal, contributed 13 kills, two aces and a block for the Martlets. Teammates Myriam Robitaille of Terrebonne, Que., had 11 kills, an ace, and four blocks while Marie-Eve Dorion of St. Hubert, Que., collected 12.5 points and 17 digs.

Alyssa Fields of Chibougamau, Que., led the Rouge et Or in scoring with 13 kills, two blocks and an ace for 16 points. Teammate Evy Carpentier-Lariviere of Ville-Marie, Que., had 20 digs, and Marie-Michele Vachon of Lac-Megantic, Que., added 10 digs and 38 assists.

Laval, which improved to 9-12 and secured fourth place, visits league-leading Montreal in a playoff preview on Feb. 12.

Looking toward the postseason, Beliveau is focused on achieving a balance between practice and rest.

"We just need to have a chance to recover now, because we've played so many games that there is some fatigue," she said. "Over the next two weeks we want to train really well and prepare for (the playoff series against) Sherbrooke, but we also need to recover our strength."

The second-place Martlets are 14-7 and can clinch home court advantage against third-place Sherbrooke (13-7) in the semifinals with a victory in their final game. McGill will host UQAM at Love Competition Hall on Saturday, Feb. 13 at 7 p.m. The match will also serve as "Senior Night", where fifth-year nutritional science student Yasmeen Dawoodjee, a native of Ottawa, will be honoured as the team's only player expected to graduate.
 

Pos	CLASSEMENT RSEQ STANDINGS	MJ/GP	V/W	D/L	SG/SW	SP/SL	PP/PF	PC/PA	MOY/WIN%	Diff./GBL	PTS
1	Montréal	20	17	3	54	18	1699	1400	0.850	0.0	34
2	McGill	21	14	7	51	29	1831	1618	0.667	3.5	28
3	Sherbrooke	20	13	7	43	31	1644	1584	0.650	4.0	26
4	Laval	21	9	12	39	45	1821	1841	0.429	8.5	18
5	UQAM	20	5	15	24	52	1547	1727	0.250	12.0	10

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Kirsten Whelan or Earl Zukerman
McGill Sports Info Office
(514) 398-7012