Love Competition Hall was packed with women’s volleyball action all weekend. Starting Friday, McGill hosted the second round of AUS Interlock play, a bi-seasonal tournament which pits RSEQ teams against four of the eight members of the AUS division.
Earlier this season, McGill travelled east to take on the first batch of Atlantic teams, and left with a 3-1 record. The Martlets matched their last result and finished interleague play for the year with a strong 6-2 record.
On Friday night, the Martlets easily handled the Memorial Seahawks. Though under-sized against Quebec teams, McGill switched roles on Friday, using their height advantage to roll over Memorial, 3-0. The first set was competitive, and the Martlets overcame two deficits to take the set 25-22. Third-year captain Geneviève Plante and fifth-year setter Marcela Mansure were instrumental in the match and connected 12 times in the game. The second and third sets were merely filler, as McGill’s cohesive and relaxed play made for an easy victory.
Next up, the University of New Brunswick Varsity Reds couldn’t do much to stop the Martlet machine on Saturday afternoon. In a match that took just over an hour to complete, McGill exploited the slower UNB middles, en route to another decisive straight set victory, 25-19, 25-17, and 25-16. Virginie Hébert, a third-year middle, stood out this time around, contributing eight kills, three aces, and three blocks in the effort.
In the evening affair, the Martlets highlighted the offensive prowess of their two starting power hitters. Rookie sensation Catherine Amyot flew to 15 kills on 37 attempts, while Plante added another 14 on her own 37 attempts. They helped pave the way to a four set victory over Cape Breton.
Offence has traditionally come naturally to McGill. What made the difference this weekend was the Martlets’ discipline. While the team committed 18 service errors just a week ago against Laval, the Martlets only gave up 19 total over the first three games of the tournament.
“We were really strong this weekend; we fought way more than we had fought in previous weeks. The difference was that we played together, stopped worrying about the score, and passed and served much better,” Hébert said. “[This had] a huge impact on our offensive and defensive transitions, which gave us much more momentum.”
McGill’s final match took place on Sunday against the Moncton Blue Eagles, and it was the only blemish on an otherwise excellent weekend for the Martlets. Looking slightly overwhelmed by Moncton’s intensity, McGill had no answer to their opponent’s scrappy attitude. Despite strong performances from third-year right side Marie-Christine Lapointe and newcomer Ashley Norfleet, the Martlets lost their only match of the weekend in three sets. Head Coach Rachelle Beliveau, honoured recently for coaching her 900th career match, added her thoughts on the loss, and the weekend as a whole.
“Moncton is a team that fights really, really hard, and does the basics well. At the start, we were doing very well, leading by five or six points. We let it go just a little bit and Moncton will always take advantage of it,” Beliveau said. “It’s disappointing because we wanted to finish on a good note. It’s the last game of the semester and we wanted a good ending … but [overall] the weekend was great, and we played very well.”
McGill heads into the break with a mediocre 7-7 record. Marred by inconsistent play against tough RSEQ competition, the Martlets find themselves last in the league. But, the team has found bright spots in some young players, and still has plenty of games left to right the ship.
“The RSEQ is a strong league … we are competing in the toughest league and gaining maturity,” Beliveau said. “We know what the calibre is now … so we’ll be starting again around Christmas time.”
