Victory over top teams improve Gee-Gees record to 3–3
The women’s volleyball team is on the cusp of a winning streak after coming out on top during their last two games. Their most recent victory came on the road against third-ranked McGill Martlets on Friday, Nov. 11.
After starting the year with a 1–3 record, the Gee-Gees were intent on righting the ship, leading off their latest match with strong play from third-years Carline Lemay and Sabrina Roy.
After Ottawa won each of the first two sets 25–22, McGill pushed back hard to take the third set 25–23. However, their late-game effort wasn’t enough, as Ottawa overpowered them in the fourth set, winning it 25–19.
It is a testament to the character of the team that they are able to win such a close contest. Roy and Lemay both played exceptionally well in the victory.
Roy, who plays libero, had a season-high 28 digs against McGill. Over the first six games of this season Roy has averaged 4.29 digs per set, an improvement over the 3.89 she averaged last year. She has undoubtedly been the defensive anchor for this team.
Lemay now has 36 kills in her last two games, after having only 38 in the previous four. If she can carry her recent strong play through the rest of the season, the team should continue to get favourable results.
While there have been some early season growing pains for the young team, they have benefited from the veteran leadership of fifth-year setter Kira Tome, who had a season-high 47 assists against McGill.
If Tome can continue to play at an elite level, and players like Lemay and Roy can maintain their respective hot streaks, then this team has the potential to be a dominant force this season. They’ve already proven that they can compete with and defeat top teams like McGill and first-ranked Montréal, whom they defeated on Nov. 6.
The Gees have a 3–3 record going into this weekend and they will be looking to exact revenge against a last-place Université du Québec à Montréal team on Friday, who defeated Ottawa 3–0 earlier in the season.
