MONTREAL -- Mikhaella Blanchette scored 20 points as seventh-ranked Montreal rallied from a 2-0 deficit to topple McGill 3-2 in the RSEQ women's volleyball season finale at Love Competition Hall on Saturday. Set scores for the two hour, five minute marathon were 25-27, 17-25, 25-19, 25-19 and 15-13.

The loss wrapped up the regular season for the Martlets (10-10), who tentatively sit tied with Laval (10-9) -- a pairing in which McGill holds the head-to-head tie-breaker -- for second place in the conference but the final standings won't be determined until the last two league games are played on Sunday (Feb. 19). McGill also holds a tie-breaker over Ottawa (9-10) but not against Sherbrooke (9-10).

"It's disappointing to lose after leading 2-0 but that's part of the game," said McGill head coach Rachele Beliveau. "The first two sets we played without hesitation, we just played volleyball without asking any questions. In the third set we were not as ready which happens a lot, but that's fine. I thought we would come back strong in the fourth set but instead, we were hesitant. We're still playing the "result" rather than the "game", so we still need to work on just playing simple. In the fifth set they were leading and we came back and although we lost, we were in that game.

"We just have to learn to play the game and let everything fall into place," she continued. "A few ball control mistakes, a few hesitations and then we're not playing exactly the same way. Volleyball is a mental game, that's why you see so much back-and-forth. It's a game of momentum and mental toughness."

Blanchette earned her points with 15 kills, three services aces and two blocks, and added six digs and an assist.

The Martlets were led by Myriam Robitaille, a 6-foot middle blocker from Terrebonne, Que., who tallied 13 points on the strength of seven kills, two service aces, three stuff blocks and two assisted blocks. She also had four digs and two assists. Freshman Claire Vercheval of Ste. Julie, Que., followed with 10.5 points, courtesy of eight kills, an ace and two blocks, along with five digs and an assist. Marie-Eve Dorion, a senior from St. Hubert, Que., recorded nine points on five kills, three aces and a block and chipped in eight digs. Fellow senior Erika Cournoyer of Longueuil, Que., contributed 8.5 points from five kills, three stuff blocks and an assisted block and had one dig and an assist.

"(After leading 2-0) I tried to give the court to people (who don't play as much), in order to rest some of our starters and also to prepare (our back-ups) for the playoffs," explained Beliveau, whose rotation featured 11 players that appeared in three or more sets. "It might be tough to play with the same seven all the time, and I think we have an advantage with good players throughout our line-up."

Montreal led offensively with a 50-40 advantage in kills and an 11-10 edge in service aces, but McGill was strong on defence with a 62-42 margin in digs and a 15-11 difference in blocks.

The Martlets (10-10) must now await the results of Sunday's games between Sherbrooke (9-10) and Montreal (14-5) as well as Ottawa (9-10) and Laval (10-9) in order to find out where they finish in the standings. Depending on how those games play out, the possibility of a rare four-way tie for second place exists.


 

2016-17 RSEQ Women's Volleyball Standings (after Feb. 18) • Classement de la saison régulière du RSEQ

Pos	Équipe	MJ	V	D	SG	SP	PP	PC	MOY	Diff.	PTS
1	Montréal	19	14	5	46	24	1634	1426	0.737	0.0	28
2	Laval	19	10	9	38	34	1585	1508	0.526	4.0	20
3	McGill	20	10	10	42	41	1784	1813	0.500	4.5	20
4	Sherbrooke	19	9	10	37	36	1557	1577	0.474	5.0	18
5	Ottawa	19	9	10	35	41	1641	1708	0.474	5.0	18
6	UQAM	20	6	14	26	48	1536	1705	0.300	8.5	12

FINAL GAMES ON RSEQ SCHEDULE:

F59	Dim	2017-02-19	13:00	Sherbrooke		Montréal		CEPSUM
F60	Dim	2017-02-19	14:00	Ottawa		Laval		PEPS	Web