MONTREAL -- Rookie
Claire Vercheval of Ste. Julie, Que., tallied a game-high 20 points as McGill defeated UQAM 3-1 in a key RSEQ women's volleyball confrontation at Love Competition Hall, Saturday. The set scores were 23-25, 25-23, 25-23 and 27-25 in a back-and-forth thriller that took an hour and 51 minutes to play.
The Martlets improved to 5-2 in seven lifetime meetings with the Citadins, who joined the league last season. The win secured a crucial advantage for McGill in a tight playoff race between all six RSEQ teams as the bottom five all sit within six points of one another. With five games remaining before playoffs, McGill (7-8) now has a four-point lead over the last-place Citadins (5-10).
The Martlets held a 51-46 advantage in kills and a 49-37 margin in digs, while UQAM had an 8-4 difference in service aces.
"We had some good moments but we made a few too many mistakes," said McGill head coach
Rachele Beliveau. "The day that we're able to reduce our mistakes we'll be (a strong contender). We touched the net too many times today, missed too many serves, and those are mistakes we can eliminate. It's not like hitting the ball hard and missing the point -- that's a risk we have to take -- but it's all the little things we can do better that are going to make a difference. That said, we're playing better than we did in the fall and we're stepping up."
Vercheval, a 6-foot-2 freshman power-hitter, earned all her points from kills and also had seven digs.
Myriam Robitaille, a junior middle blocker from Terrebonne, Que., scored 11.5 points on the strength of seven kills, four stuff blocks and an assisted block. The third-year languages major chipped in four digs with an assist. Junior
Emilie Matte de Grasse of Montreal had 10.5 points thanks to eight kills, an ace and two blocks. She added four digs and an assist.
Elisabeth Perrault, a freshman from Laval, Que., who drove the final nail in the Citadins coffin, also recorded 10.5 points, courtesy of eight kills, two stuff blocks and an assisted block, in addition to a half-dozen digs and a pair of assists.
Erika Cournoyer, a senior from Longueuil, Que., scored 7.5 points with six kills, an ace and a block.
Marjolaine Ste-Marie, a senior libero from St. Lambert, Que., contributed a game-high 18 digs, while third-year setter
Thara Dawoodjee of Ottawa racked up 38 assists and served up an ace.
"A lot of our players are young and don't communicate on the court as much as they should," noted Beliveau, a former Canadian Olympian whose starting line-up currently features two freshmen, three juniors and one senior. "They know how to play the game but they're hesitant (to take a vocal role on the court) so they stay quiet. They could (be more vocal) but I also understand that it's tough to take on that role before you're an established veteran."
Émilie Germain-Russell led the Citadins with 18 points, from 17 kills and a block.
McGill (7-8) next visits Laval (8-6) in Quebec City on Feb. 3 before hosting Ottawa (6-8) on Sunday (Feb. 5). The Citadins (5-10) host Montreal (11-3) that same evening.
| 2016-17 RSEQ Women's Volleyball Standings (updated after Jan. 29 games) • Classement de la saison régulière |
|
|
| 1 |
Montréal |
14 |
11 |
3 |
36 |
15 |
1217 |
1024 |
0.786 |
0.0 |
22 |
| 2 |
Laval |
14 |
8 |
6 |
30 |
24 |
1195 |
1102 |
0.571 |
3.0 |
16 |
| 3 |
McGill |
15 |
7 |
8 |
30 |
33 |
1351 |
1419 |
0.467 |
4.5 |
14 |
| 4 |
Sherbrooke |
14 |
6 |
8 |
26 |
29 |
1162 |
1203 |
0.429 |
5.0 |
12 |
| 5 |
Ottawa |
14 |
6 |
8 |
24 |
32 |
1205 |
1267 |
0.429 |
5.0 |
12 |
| 6 |
UQAM |
15 |
5 |
10 |
22 |
35 |
1213 |
1328 |
0.333 |
6.5 |
10 |
