QUEBEC CITY --
Claire Vercheval of Ste. Julie, Que., recorded 18 points and was one of four teammates to reach double figures as McGill topped Laval 3-1 in a key RSEQ women's volleyball contest at Centre PEPS on Saturday. The set scores were 25-23, 25-22, 23-25 and 25-16.
The result evened McGill's record at 8-8 and gave them their first-ever season series over their provincial rivals, with three victories in four meetings. It also pushed both teams into a tie for second place in the conference with 16 points, although Laval (8-7) has a game in hand. With four games remaining before playoffs, the RSEQ standings are so tight that McGill could finish anywhere from second to sixth.
"We showed very good teamwork," said McGill head coach
Rachele Beliveau. "Everybody played well -- even the people coming off the bench came in and made a difference in the game and had excellent execution, so it was really a good team performance.
"Offensively, we didn't make many mistakes," she added. "We either had kills or were able to continue rallies."
The Martlets held a 60-48 advantage in kills, a 93-83 margin in digs, an 11-5 difference in stuff blocks and matched Laval's seven service aces.
Vercheval, a physical education freshman, earned her points on the strength of 15 kills and six assisted blocks. She also contributed a dozen digs and one assist.
Middle-blockers
Elisabeth Perrault and
Erika Cournoyer followed with 16.5 points apiece. Perrault, a rookie from Laval, Que., had 13 kills, a pair of aces and three assisted blocks, in addition to 10 digs. Cournoyer, a senior from Longueuil, Que., registered 11 kills, three aces and five blocks, along with five digs and an assist.
Myriam Robitaille of Terrebonne, Que., also reached double-digits with 15 points, courtesy of 11 kills, an ace and six assisted blocks. The six-foot junior chipped in five digs and a pair of assists. Senior
Marie-Eve Dorion, a power-hitter from St. Hubert, Que., tallied nine points on eight kills and an ace and managed 15 digs and three assists.
Senior
Marjolaine Ste-Marie, a libero from St. Lambert, Que., led the strong defensive effort with 26 digs, while third-year setter
Thara Dawoodjee of Ottawa racked up a game-high 50 assists.
"Right now we want to work hard and stay focused on just trying to get better each time out, because we're still a team in progression," Beliveau explained. "We're working with small objectives every game to keep moving forward."
Alice Cloutier led the Rouge et Or with 13 points, from 11 kills, one ace and a block.
McGill (8-8) hosts Ottawa (6-8) in another crucial confrontation on Sunday (Feb. 5 at 2 p.m.) at Love Competition Hall. The fifth-place Gee-Gees, who sit four points behind McGill, have taken two of three meetings from the Martlets this season. All three matchups have been by 3-1 scores. Laval (8-7) visits the division-leading Montreal Carabins (12-4) on Sunday afternoon.
| 2016-17 RSEQ Women's Volleyball Standings (updated after games on Feb. 3) • Classement de la saison régulière |
|
|
| 1 |
Montréal |
16 |
12 |
4 |
39 |
19 |
1367 |
1186 |
0.750 |
0.0 |
24 |
| 2 |
Laval |
15 |
8 |
7 |
31 |
27 |
1281 |
1200 |
0.533 |
3.5 |
16 |
| 3 |
McGill |
16 |
8 |
8 |
33 |
34 |
1422 |
1480 |
0.500 |
4.0 |
16 |
| 4 |
Sherbrooke |
15 |
7 |
8 |
29 |
29 |
1237 |
1263 |
0.467 |
4.5 |
14 |
| 5 |
Ottawa |
14 |
6 |
8 |
24 |
32 |
1205 |
1267 |
0.429 |
5.0 |
12 |
| 6 |
UQAM |
16 |
5 |
11 |
23 |
38 |
1275 |
1391 |
0.313 |
7.0 |
10 |
