BACK TO BACK SWEEPS MOVE THE GEE-GEES INTO 4TH IN THE OUA
Game 1: Gee-Gees 3, Paladins 0 (25-13, 25-15, 25-12)
As evidenced by the scoreline, this one was all Gee-Gees. But in case you wanted some more stats to prove how dominant they were, here are the most notable.
- The Gee-Gees hit a season-high .395, with 41 kills and just 11 errors on 76 total attempts.
Led by (who else?) Audrey Odigie with 12 kills on .308% efficiency, and buoyed by a supporting cast of Nicole Hildebrand (eight kills on .312%), Keely Lloyd (seven kills on .600% in just 10 attempts) and Camryn Giddens (five kills on .625% and no errors), the Gee-Gees were lethal at every position. Lea Pendergast, Christine Hachokake and Harper Schaefer each chipped in three apiece to round off the 41 total.
- Audrey Odigie outscored the Paladins by herself
The Paladins hit -0.048, with more errors (14) than kills (11). It was a rough night all around for the Paladins, but no one had it worse than left side Ashley Raymond. Coming into the weekend averaging 2.71 kills per set, good for 17th in the OUA, Raymond finished Friday night’s game with just one kill and four errors on 16 attempts; she hit a team-worst –.188%. From the jump, the Paladins couldn’t get any rhythm on offence; only left side Elisa Markentin (six kills, five errors) and middle Eve Smith (two kills, one error) had more than one kill. Altogether, RMC finished with just 11 kills as a team over the course of the match. For those counting at home, yes; Audrey Odigie (12 kills) outscored the Paladins by herself.
- The Gee-Gees had more service aces (13) than service errors (11).
The Gee-Gees have been known to serve aggressively. There’s a reason they lead the conference in aces/set, but they took it to a new level in this match. Every player, whether starter or serving sub, hit flat, hard, aggressive float serves that overwhelmed the Paladins’ serve receive unit. Yes, Ottawa missed 11 serves (including nine in the first two sets alone), but the benefits far outweighed the costs. Going for broke may not be as effective against better-passing opponents, but it gives the Gee-Gees an extra weapon to use when facing average-or-worse passers.
A summary as brief as the game itself
Lasting just over an hour, this match wasn’t much to write home about. The Gee-Gees scored early and often, forcing the Paladins into a timeout within the first 10 points of every set.
In the first set, the Gee-Gees went up 8-2 thanks to a Harper Schaefer service run and never looked back; leading by as many as 12 at 21-9 after an RMC hitting error. Lea Pendergast came in as a block sub for Giddens, and closed it out with a kill to win the set 25-13.
The second set played out similarly, though the Paladins managed to keep this one closer – after calling a timeout down 10-4, they kept the deficit roughly the same until it was 20-14. Unfortunately for RMC, the Gee-Gees won five of the final six points (capped by back-to-back Pendergast aces) to win 25-15.
In the third, the Paladins jumped out to a 3-0 lead following an ace and a pair of Ottawa miscues. Yet, a few points later, the Gee-Gees had them in the rear view mirror up 12-5, and continued to pull away until a missed serve by Eve Smith (mercifully) ended the set and match at 25-12.
Gee-Gees Player of the Game: Keely Lloyd – 7 kills on .600% efficiency, 2 aces, 2 blocks.
Game 2: Gee-Gees 3, Paladins 0 (25-22, 25-20, 25-14)
RMC played a much cleaner game on Saturday afternoon, but the Paladins were still no match for the Gee-Gees.
Gee-Gees stage another late-set comeback (Set 1: Gee-Gees 25, Paladins 22)
To the Paladins’ credit, they were hot out of the gate. Whether or not they were embarrassed by their showing on Friday, they jumped out to an early 3-0 first set lead, and while the Gee-Gees quickly erased it, they were never able to pull away.
Despite hitting a match-best .379 in the set, Ottawa’s play was sloppy: six missed serves gave the Paladins countless opportunities. In fact, following consecutive three-point service runs by Raymond and setter Jayda Phillipson, the Paladins found themselves with a late 21-18 advantage – they had the Gee-Gees on the ropes.
A timeout by Ottawa head coach Lionel Woods would right the ship, perhaps reminding the team that they’d fought back from greater deficits two weekends ago against Toronto. A Camyrn Giddens kill led to a six-point serving run by Libero/DS Brynn Lewis, and before the Paladins could blink, the Gee-Gees were closing out a 25-22 win.
Hildebrand sets the tone (Set 2: Gee-Gees 25, Paladins 20)
It’d been a relatively quiet start to the season for Gee-Gees veteran Nicole Hildebrand. Having moved back to the right side after spending a season on the left, her offensive production had taken a bit of a dip – averaging a rather pedestrian 1.9 kills/set coming into Saturday’s game (still very good, but below her usual standard).
If anyone had been doubting her, they surely aren’t anymore. 12 kills in Saturday’s match were exactly what the doctor ordered for a Gee-Gees team that had more than a few moments of subpar play.
Early in the second set, the Paladins managed to slow down Odigie in a way most teams haven’t, digging her swings a few times and blocking her once. Of course she would bounce back, but during that brief period of struggle, Hildebrand was there to pick her up.
She scored five kills in the set, and her four-point service run pulled the Gee-Gees from a 10-7 deficit to an 11-10 lead that they would never relinquish. Christine Hachokake finished the set with an ace (for what feels like the 8th time this season), and the Gee-Gees, despite not playing their best, took a 2-0 lead into the third set.
A throwback to Friday night (Set 3: Gee-Gees 25, Paladins 14)
Audrey Odigie looked human at times in this match, with a mere six kills through two sets. Unfortunately for the Paladins, she took advantage of the third set to right the ship, putting up seven kills in the frame to finish with a game-high 13.
The Gee-Gees pulled away early, leading 9-5 courtesy of a five-point serving run by Odigie which included kills by Hildebrand and Giddens, and a massive stuff block by Hildebrand and Lloyd – one of several the pair had.
Lost in the noise of this match was Schaefer, who quietly had 28 assists and five digs – another stellar and steady performance by the Gee-Gees setter. The only knock was her serving, as she missed three in the first two sets. Much like the rest of the team, however, she stepped it up in the third, delivering a six-point run from the service line to put the match out of reach at 24-13, before Hildebrand finally put it to bed with a kill at 25-14.
Gee-Gees Player of the Game: Nicole Hildebrand – 12 kills on .429% efficiency, 2 aces, 4 digs, 1.5 blocks
Instant Analysis
Throughout the weekend, I was consistently impressed by the Gee-Gees discipline. Playing against a weaker opponent, it can be easy to drop to their level and play poor volleyball rather than sticking to your guns and competing at a high level, but Ottawa did no such thing. The domination of the Gee-Gees on Friday was a great sign for me: while speaking to Lionel Woods before Friday’s game, he stressed the importance of using these games against weaker opponents to “keep playing their brand of volleyball”, and most importantly, “to learn how to win”. Safe to say they did that, which is growth from last season; last year, the Gee-Gees dropped one set to RMC and two to Trent (who finished 0-20), so to make a statement by winning each set by 10+ points indicates that this is a more mature team, and one that does, in fact, know how to win.
While Saturday’s game was tighter at times, I thought it equally displayed progress – they were down 21-18 in the first set, and instead of tightening up or trying to do too much, they showed excellent composure; siding out on the first ball after a timeout and then going on a long run to take the lead. I’m not sure that last years’ team – comprised of almost an identical group – would’ve played as freely in those moments. While they had some great comebacks, most notably a 24-20 deficit erased against Windsor, they also lost sets and matches to teams that they were head and shoulders better than (Lakehead & TMU).
A lot of the credit is due to the players for buying into Woods’ plan. In the closing points of every set, Hildebrand is being taken out for her second service rotation in favour of Lewis’ serve and defence, Tara Gosling is coming in for one of Lloyd or Hachokake to serve, and Pendergast is being brought in as a blocking sub for Giddens. It would be all too easy for veterans like Hildebrand to be disappointed to leave the court in crucial moments, or for Lewis to be dejected in her new role as a DS after once being the everyday starting libero. Yet, you’ll never see any of the girls complaining. That maturity up and down the lineup is indicative of a true team, not simply a collection of volleyball players.
Time will tell if the Gee-Gees can maintain their level all season, especially with some daunting opponents waiting for them after the Christmas break, but I’m loving what I’ve seen from the team so far.
Up Next
The Gee-Gees will hit the road for the first time next weekend, when they take on the Lakehead Thunderwolves (0-4) on Friday and Saturday. Both games start at 6 p.m., and will be broadcast on OUA.tv.
The Gee-Gees next home games are on Nov. 27 and 28 against the Waterloo Warriors (2-2).
