MONTREAL – Charlene Robitailleof St. Jean, Que., registered 17 points to lead a Martlets foursome in double-digit scoring as McGill defeated Laval 3-1 in a key women’s volleyball matchup, Sunday, at Love Competition Hall.
The set scored were 28-26, 22-25, 28-26 and 25-18.
It was the first meeting of the season between the provincial rivals after splitting two confrontations last year. Both teams entered the contest with identical 3-2 records in RSEQ play, and the end result was McGill moving two points ahead of the Rouge et Or and gaining sole possession of third place in the tight RSEQ standings.
“I’m pleased that we showed a lot of poise and were able to win those tight sets,” said McGill head coach Rachele Beliveau. “It could have one either way until we gained some momentum in the fourth set. Laval was solid on defence but we were great offensively and we passed very well. Our depth was a key advantage for us. Our younger talent has improved significantly to (merit) some court time.”
Robitaille, a six-foot-middle blocker, tallied a game-high 14 kills with one service ace, one stuff block and two assisted blocks. The 23-year-old nutritional science senior added three digs on defence.
Iannotti and Olivia Krishnan , a junior from Niagara, Ont., were each credited with a team-high 10 digs.
Setter Audrey Trottier of Longueuil, Que., racked up a monster 50 assists in addition to six digs.
Clara Poire, a senior from Blainville, Que., who started last year but has been hampered with injuries this season, saw some light duty. It was her second appearance of the season after suffering an undisclosed injury in the season opener at UQTR on Oct. 16.
Both teams were credited with 55 kills apiece. McGill had a 10-8 edge in stuff blocks, while Laval had an 11-7 advantage in service aces and a 65-54 margin in digs.
Four Laval players also reached double figures, led by Eloise Ross-Tremblay with 20.5 points. Other top scorers were Jade Marquis (16), Justine Raymond (12.5), and Roxane St-Amand (11).
Both sides return to the court on Nov. 18, with Sherbrooke (2-5) at Laval (3-3) and McGill (4-2) at Ottawa (2-3) in a 7 p.m. tip-off.
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