MONTREAL –
Elyssa Lajmi and
Rachel Leduc each scored 13 points as McGill rallied from a lopsided opening set loss to upset the No.6 ranked Montreal Carabins 3-1 in a critical women's volleyball game at Love Competition Hall, Sunday. After dropping the first set 25-11, the Martlets roared back to win 25-15, 25-13 and 25-18.
The result clinched the fourth and final playoff berth in the RSEQ conference for the Martlets, who finished with an identical 13-8 record as Laval but lost the higher seed based on the head-to-head season series. McGill needed a win to advance, eliminating UQAM (12-9) which would have had the tie-breaker over the Martlets.
The division-leading Carabins dropped to 19-2 and will confront McGill in the RSEQ best-of-three semifinal series, slated to open on Feb. 21.
Lajmi, a first-year certificate student in communications, who hails from France, scored all of her points on the strength of 13 kills to finish first among RSEQ league leaders with 237 in 73 sets. She ranked fifth in points per set (3.77) and 15th in hitting percentage at 22.1 per cent. Lajmi also had 13 digs in the win over Montreal and ended up fourth in the RSEQ in total digs (189) and eighth in digs per set (2.59)..
"It was such an intense, emotional game that I don't even remember most of it, honestly," said graduating co-captain
Rachel Leduc, a 22-year-old management senior from Montreal, who had 11 kills, one service ace and one stuff block to go along with 11 digs.
"It's always (mentally) tough (for a senior) to play the last game when you don't know if you're going to make the playoffs or not. You kind of wonder if it is going to be bittersweet, playing in your last game; or do we still have more to come? But it's really exciting that we were able to win this and have more time with our teammates because we have a beautiful team this year. So we really want to cherish every moment going forward... Were a very resilient gang. We're young, have a lot of energy and there's always been a good rivalry with U de M, so we really wanted this and I think its cool that we were able to come away with the win."
Teammate
Emma Waskiewicz, a freshman power-hitter from Laval, Que., registered a game-high 15 digs and finished second among league leaders with 3.12 digs per set.
Ilona Millan scored eight points to pace the Carabins who liberally used their entire lineup.
The victory before a hearty crowd who trekked in despite a major snowstorm. Parents and friends were also there to pay tribute to the team's three graduating seniors, including
Rachel Leduc (B.Com '25) and
Charlotte Chouinard-Laliberte, (BA '25; psychology) and
Erin Keating (BA '25; political science) of Deerfield, Illinois.
There were more than 70 Martlets alumni on hand to celebrate head coach
Rachele Beliveau, who was coaching in her final regular season game before retirement after 34 years at the helm. Also there was
Felix Dion, a long-time assistant coach, who spent 17 years working with Beliveau... Some of the players from her first McGill squad in 1991-92 were on hand, including
Julia King and
Maryam Moayeri, who flew all the way from Vancouver, B.C... Also in attendance were the three Martlets who have been inducted to the McGill Sports Hall of Fame, namely
Wendy Whalen (2013),
Shauna Forster (2016) and
Jennifer Thomson (2021)... Others included Marcela
Mansure, Audrey
Trottier, Thara
Dawoodjee, Clara
Poire, Kate
Vercheval, Charlene
Robitaille, Alyson
Laberge, Marie-Michelle
Corrigan, Lucie
Beland, Isabelle
D'Amboise, Virginie
Hebert, Taryn
Thompson-Reid, Elisabeth
Jamieson, Josiane
Rozon, Joliane
Allaire, Olivia
Krishan, Fanny
Wong, Meaghan
Smith, Elisabeth
Perrault, Marie-Pier
Durivage, Marie-Eve
Bergeron, Linda
Probyn, Sheila
Huong, Dr. Monika
Volesky, Britta
Weise, Valerie
Bender-Lajeunesse, Catherine
So, Jane
Van Ryn, Valerie
Savard, Michelle
Van Houtte, Marie-Eve
Dorion, Yasmeen
Dawoodjee, Lea-Marie
Duguay, Daphnee
Prinzen, Marie-Claude
Ferland, Patricia
Riopel, Baharreh
Yadollahi, Victoria
Guay, Liza
Mrak, Ashley
Miller, Julie
Sinclair, Rio
Pesochin, Amelie
Trottier, Micaela
Garstin, Alexandra
Ivanov, Anouk
Lapointe, Genevieve
Plante, Rowan
Fletcher, Marie-Christine
Lapointe and Veronic
Laplante.
BOXSCORE
RSEQ STATS & STANDINGS
U SPORTS NATIONAL STATS LEADERS
SOURCE
Earl Zukerman
Sports Information Officer
Athletics & Recreation
McGill University
CELL:
514-983-7012
E-MAIL:
earl.zukerman@mcgill.ca
