Rebirds Lacrosse

Final: W (v. Queen’s) 13-9, L (v. Western) 12-5 

In a stunning comeback victory over the Queen’s Gaels (7–4) on Oct. 28, attacker Cameron McGinnis scored eight goals, setting a new single-game record for McGill. After a week basking in the glory of the win, the Redbirds (8–5) headed off to Peterborough for the CUFLA Baggataway Cup championship tournament. McGill faced off against the Western Mustangs (10–2) in the quarter-finals on Friday night. After a back-and-forth first half, the two teams were in lockstep, exiting the first quarter 3-3 and entering half-time 5-5. Less than two minutes into the third, McGill attacker Isaiah Cree potted his fourth goal of the night, giving the Redbirds a lead they would hold onto until the final whistle. Cree again padded the lead less than one minute into the fourth quarter with his fifth goal of the night. The Redbirds rounded out the evening with two goals from McGinnis and two from midfielder Rowan Birrell to secure a 13-9 victory. 

In Saturday’s semi-finals, the Redbirds met the first-seeded Trent Excalibur (9–1). After going down 3-0 early in the first quarter, Cree and midfielder Daniel Chand both found the back of the net, entering the second quarter with the game still in reach at 3-2. With McGill’s lead goal scorer McGinnis sidelined with an injury, Trent’s offence overpowered the Redbirds and scored five unanswered goals in the second quarter. Down 8-2 entering halftime, the Redbirds were able to round up some offensive action with goals from Birrel, Cree, and midfielder Luke Dawick, but were unable to answer the call. With a 12-5 final, the Redbirds’ lacrosse season came to a close, but Cree is optimistic about the team going forward. 

“It’s going to hurt losing the other veterans going into next season, but I feel like we will be just fine with the core we have moving forward,” Cree told The McGill Tribune. “The young guys are only going to get better, and some took a big step forward in our loss against Trent on Saturday. It will drive us to become better for next season.”

Martlets Volleyball

Final : L (v UQAM) 3-1 (25-21, 25-27, 15-25, 21-25), W (v. UQTR) 3-0 (25-16, 25-10, 25-20)

After a disappointing loss to the fifth-seeded UQÀM on Nov. 4, the Martlets (3–2) looked to bounce back at home against the UQTR Patriotes (0–6) on Nov. 6.

The Patriotes jumped to an early lead in the first set, only to be met with harsh opposition from the Martlets. A phenomenal defensive setup led by outside hitter Rachel Leduc and middle blocker Charlene Robitaille walled off the Martlets’ side of the court from any errant spiking efforts from UQTR. Robitaille put on a masterclass of vision as she reached into her bag of tricks to spike, feint, and dump the ball all over the Patriotes’ defence. The Martlets took the first set 25-16.

The second set began much the same way with a similar defensive stand from the Martlets, but power hitters Victoria Iannotti and Brook Brown each chipped in with authority. They handled their opposing blockers with grace, bullying their way to a 25-10 set as setter Audrey Trottier orchestrated pinpoint play from her hitters.

“We had a good game plan, to be really aggressive […] and very quick on offence, and we stuck to that and were able to split the block well enough that we were able to make good opportunities for ourselves,” Brown told the Tribune.

With a tight 20-19 score in the third set, Martlets’ co-captain Iannotti hammered home a timely spike to set the Martlets up for a run to the finish line. A phenomenal solo block from middle blocker Meaghan Smith cut any Patriotes efforts short as she ended the final set at 25-20 for the Martlets.

“[Our mindset] is to play together […] really to stay calm, trust each other, and to celebrate every point,” co-captain Robitaille told the Tribune. “We were playing really sharp today.” The Martlets play next on Nov. 13 at home in a game against the Université Laval Rouge et Or.