VANCOUVER, B.C. – Freshman Anica Pineault of Boucherville, Que., scored a game-high 19.5 points as the fourth-seeded UQAM Citadins defeated No. 8 McGill 3-1 in a consolation semifinal at the 2023 U SPORTS women's volleyball championship at War Memorial Gym, Saturday.
 
The RSEQ conference champion Citadins (1-1) advance to Sunday's consolation final for fifth-place, against the Mt. Royal Cougars (1-1). For McGill, this was the season finale as the Martlets (0-2) finished tied with Brock (0-2) for seventh at the tourney and ended up with a 23-14 mark overall.
 
The result was UQAM's fifth win in six meetings with McGill this season and improved their lifetime record to 16-22 overall against the Martlets.

"We were almost even with UQAM on all the statistics but it seemed that every time they needed a key point, they got it," said head coach Rachele Beliveau, who will  have to wait until next season to win her 700th victory behind the McGill bench. "We have to be a little faster in our arm swings (on kill attempts), to be less predictable offensively."

Looking at team stats, very little separated the cross-town rivals throughout the contest but UQAM held a slim edge in most categories, including kills (58-51), stuff blocks (9-7), assists (54-47) and digs (78-72). Arguably, the key to their victory was a 26.3 per cent success rate in hitting efficiency, with 17 errors on 156 kill attempts. McGill made 18 errors on 167 attempts for a 19.8 per cent efficiency. The Martlets also committed 12 service errors, compared to nine by UQAM.

Pineault, named as UQAM's Mikasa-sponsored player of the game, was one of three Citadins to reach double digits in scoring, along with Sabrina Mater (18) and Laura Côté-Colin (11).
 
For McGill, Victoria Iannotti of St. Laurent, Que., had a team-high 18 points on 17 kills and a pair of assisted blocks. The software engineering senior added 10 digs.
 
Teammate Meaghan Smith, a fifth-year Arts & Science senior who was playing in front of her hometown friends and family, scored 10 points on six kills, two aces and four assisted blocks. She was also credited with three digs and a passing ratio of 2.33 (out of 3). Smith is one of two McGill seniors expecting to graduate, although she still has two years of eligibility remaining and is considering a return for a master's degree.

"Meaghan came in from B.C., very young with not much experience and improved significantly to become a starter over her last two seasons," said Beliveau. "It was good to see her progression and were hoping that she returns next season."

Catherine Vercheval of Ste. Julie, Que., was named as McGill's player of the game. The 5-foot-9 libero, registered a game-high 20 digs, some of them on spectacular dives, matching her second-highest career total. She added three assists and passed for a 2.08 ratio out of 3. It marked the final game in a McGill uniform for Vercheval, who initially graduated in 2022 with a BA in international development studies but returned for a diploma in management.

"Catherine was great today, very calm," Beliveau said. "She improved  immensely over her five years. A very quick and agile player, she learned to play with a calmness this year. She has worked on that a lot and it really improved her game."

Rounding out McGill's leading point-getters was Clara Poiré, a kinesiology major from Blainville, Que., who tallied seven kills with 2.5 blocks, six digs and one assist. Poiré is among seven Martlets seniors, five of whom are expected to return. The youthful roster also included five juniors, six sophomores and three freshmen.

McGill setter Audrey Trottier made her first start since being injured in a game on Feb. 5, and registered 38 assists, along with two kills, seven  digs and one assisted block. The physical therapy senior was eased back into the lineup a day earlier with limited duty in the tourney opener against Trinity Western.

"Although I'm not happy with how the season ended, I'm so pleased with how we progressed," Beliveau said. "The results may not be there on paper but the team has improved and we qualified for Nationals in back-to-back seasons for the first time in team history. I've heard from many people who have said that they couldn't believe how much improvement we showed this year. This is something positive that we can take into next season. Sports is about reaching your potential and maximizing as an athlete and that is just as important as wins and losses.

"I sensed that we needed more energy at the end of the season and we weren't used to (the grind). This was really our first 'full' season since the pandemic," added Beliveau, whose troops played 37 games overall, compared to 22 last year and none during the pandemic season in 2020-21, when they would normally play about 40 games.

"We have to  now adjust to re-implementing off-season team workouts, a full training camp and a lengthier schedule."

BOXSCORE
 
TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE & RESULTS

ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
Setter – Dora Komlodi (TWU)
Libero – Kacey Jost (UBC)
Left Side – Lucy Glen-Carter (DAL)
Outside Hitter – Raya Surinx (MAN)
Middle blocker – Jayde Robertsen (UBC)
Middle blocker – Kaylee Plouffe (TWU)
MVP – Elise Petit (UBC)

Fair Play Award – Brett Boldon (DAL)


SOURCE:
Earl Zukerman
Sports Information Officer
Athletics & Recreation
McGill University
514-398-7012
www.mcgillathletics.ca
earl.zukerman@mcgill.ca
@EarlZukerman (twitter)