Martlets Volleyball has extended their win streak to five this weekend, with two shut-out games against the University of Quebec at Chicoutimi (UQAC) at Pavillon sportif. The games spotlighted graduate student Elyssa Lajmi, who led the team on both offense and defense. In the first game, Lajmi scored 19 points—16 of which were kills—and put up 14 digs and five blocks on defense to halt UQAC’s advances. In the second game, the power hitter from Thionville, France scored 12.5 points with an impressive three aces. 

The Martlets won both matches in three-sets, though not without some competition. On Friday, they won their sets 28-26, 25-14, and 25-12, breaking UQAC’s team early and riding out the rest of the match. On Saturday, UQAC showed great effort, but still fell short to the Martlets 25-17, 25-22, and 25-20. The victory showcased the team’s offensive resilience and unwillingness to give up. Moreover, though Lajmi’s performance was key, the game was nothing short of a full team effort as Coach Rachèle Béliveau made great use of the bench. 

This season is also a special one, as it marks the end of Coach Béliveau’s career at McGill. Béliveau announced in early January that she would retire after this year. 

The Martlets are now 9–7 in the Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ), where they are tied for third place with Laval University and UQAM. McGill has five games left until the RSEQ playoffs and aim to defeat UQTR this Friday, Jan. 31 at Love Competition Hall. This past weekend may act as a tipping point in the Martlets season as they strive to take home the RSEQ championship banner in March. 

With this past weekend’s successes, Martlets Volleyball is on its way to a second-place spot in the conference and a triumphant playoff season.