Back in the hunt
photo by Alex Smyth
Up in the air: Karina Krueger Schwanke helped the Gees inch closer to a playoff spot on Jan. 31.
Women’s volleyball two points shy of a playoff spot
WITH INJURED CAPTAIN Tess Edwards finally returning to the starting lineup, the Gee-Gees women’s volleyball team was looking to keep pace for the final playoff spot in the Ontario University Athletics East division on Jan. 31 at Montpetit Hall. They succeeded in accomplishing their goal with a resounding 3-1 victory over the struggling Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks (4-12), improving their own record to 6-9.
Early on in the match, the Gees struggled defensively, resulting in a 14-7 lead for the Golden Hawks midway through the first set. Though Ottawa’s play improve,d Laurier refused to relinquish their lead and won the hard-fought first set by a score of 25-23. First-year hitter Karina Krueger Schwanke was a bright spot for Ottawa, finishing with a game-high 15 points. She also tied third-year libero Claudia Seguin for the team lead in digs, with 20.
The Gees woke up in the second set, as first-year hitter Melissa Morelli showed off her power with massive spikes and even added a service ace for her team’s cause. Ottawa exploited holes in the Laurier defence to end the set on a 10-2 run, winning in a dominating fashion, 25-15, to tie the match at one set apiece.
In perhaps the most exciting set of the year, the Gees and Golden Hawks matched each other point-for-point throughout the third set, as both teams simply refused to cave in. Fourth-year middle hitter Joanie Beauregard-Veillette was excellent on her serves and provided a spark for Ottawa with three service aces. Amazingly, the frantic pace of the set led to a final score of 31-29 for the Garnet and Grey. A masterful kill by fifth-year hitter Kaely Williams finally ended the set in favour of Ottawa.
In the last set, Edwards guided the team to victory by striking the ball into no-man’s land with several off-speed kills. After the match, she explained that she was pleased with her play in her return from injury.
“It felt like a long time [since I last played], and it feels really nice to be back on the floor. You feel a little slow when you come back, but I’m pretty happy with how I played,” she said.
“[Edwards], by watching for a few weeks, saw some of the little things that you don’t see when you’re playing all the time. [As a result], she played a lot better today,” added head coach Lionel Woods.
Though Laurier came out with desperation and took the lead in the fourth set, Ottawa quickly regrouped and crushed the visitors with a score of 25-19, securing the much-needed win.
“I think this game was the first game in a long time where we had consistent play throughout all the sets,” said Edwards after the match.
Woods praised his team’s effort as well.
“I liked our confidence and our chemistry out there. We stayed aggressive when things weren’t going well, and that aggression is what won us the match.”
The Gee-Gees are now trailing the fourth-place Ryerson Rams (7-9) by just two points for the final playoff spot.
“I think if we can keep working on playing consistently, [it] will lead to a good result,” said Edwards.
“We’re very confident. All we have to do is get to the playoffs and we’re going to be a dangerous team,” added Woods.
Ottawa (6-9) will host the York Lions (10-5) and the Waterloo Warriors (12-4) on Feb. 6–7 at Montpetit Hall, as they continue their quest for the playoffs.
