QUEBEC CITY – Victoria Iannotti of St. Laurent, Que., scored a game-high 22.5 points as McGill rallied for a thrilling 3-2 road victory over Laval in women’s volleyball, Saturday, before a crowd of 427 fans at the Centre PEPS in the provincial capital.
After dropping the first set 25-18, McGill bounced back to win 25-16 to even the score at 1-1. But the Rouge et Or rebounded, taking the third set 25-16. The Martlets then took the final two sets 25-15 and 15-10. The game took two hours and nine minutes to play.
“We didn’t get off to the best start but their gym is tough to play in as the depth perception is difficult and we needed to adapt,” said McGill head coach Rachele Beliveau. “We made many mistakes early on, touching the net, setting too close to the net. But we were really patient and looked for ways to adjust. As the game moved on, were finally able to adjust the play to our level. So I’m happy that were showed that mental toughness, especially in the fifth set where we were down 6-3 early on. Our depth was also a key factor as we have not yet had a fixed starting lineup from the start of the season. That gives us multiple options.”
The result moved McGill (6-3) into a tie with Sherbrooke (6-2) for first-place in the eight-team RSEQ conference. Laval is two wins back at 4-4.
The game was a kill and dig festival, with the provincial rivals combining for over 100 in both categories. It marked the third straight outing that the Martlets had tallied at least 50 kills and 50 digs in a game.
“The calibre of play in our league is the best that I’ve ever seen, especially among the top six teams,” noted Beliveau.
Iannotti, who posted 21 kills, one shy of a career high, added 1.5 stuff blocks, in addition to a dozen digs and four assists. She now has 495 kills over her four seasons and needs five more to become the sixth member of the Martlets to reach the 500 club.
Iannotti was one of four teammates to reach double-digit scoring, along with Charlene Robitaille (14 pts) of St. Jean, Que., Clara Poire (13) of Blainville, Que., and Montrealer Rachel Leduc (11).
Setter Charlotte Chouinard-Laliberte, a psychology junior from Montreal, filled in again for injured senior Audrey Trottier. She collected a spectacular career-high 51 assists, five shy of the single-game school record set by Thara Dawoodjee on Nov. 5, 2016.
Laval’s Justine Raymond and Eloise Ross-Tremblay paced the host squad with 19.5 and 18 points, respectively.
Both Laval and McGill will return to the court on Nov. 17, when the Rouge et Or hosts Ottawa (3-4) and UQAM (5-2) visits the Martlets.
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