Queen’s Women’s Volleyball 2023-24 Season Preview

Last season Queen’s Women’s Volleyball finished second in the OUA, a huge jump from the seventh place rank they had when OUA playoffs started. This year, they plan to keep up that same gritty momentum.
 
On the way to last year’s Quigley Cup match, Queen’s upset the rankings. Although the Gaels struggled with a 2-8 away record in the regular season, they dominated two road playoff games against second-ranked Western and third-ranked Waterloo, before taking Brock—the eventual champions—to five sets in the final.
 
“We are all very eager to continue to show what we can do this year because last year we did really well and now we’ve been training really well. I think we have a really talented group of girls,” outside Mary Stewart said.
 
“I feel like last season taught us a lot about perseverance. We came back. We were seventh and came back and we fought on the road every single weekend to get where we were in the finals. I think just knowing we are a team that can fight back when things get tough can help us tackle challenges this season.”
 
With the new season, the Gaels welcome five new recruits who’ve already started to fit in and get acquainted.
 
“I think they are amazing. All really talented athletes and they bring such a positive vibe to our team. The environment they create just within themselves, I think, is much needed on our team,” Stewart said.
 

“Coming off of the incredible playoff run last season, our team is highly motivated to achieve our ultimate goal of winning a national championship this year. The new additions to our team, including Assistant Coach Sarah Moss, have brought an infectious energy to our group that leaves me both inspired and proud. At practice we often discuss how we can show up as the best version of ourselves and support one another, and I believe that this positive training environment will translate to a successful season.” – Holly Biasi
 

Assistant Coach Sarah Moss has also joined the squad and brings along her experience assistant coaching with the Alberta Pandas. In 2021-22 she helped the Pandas program earn a Canada-West silver and National Championship bronze.
 
Stewart speaks highly of Moss’s impact ahead of the regular season: “Her transition was super seamless. I feel like I can go to her with anything which I think is a really important quality to have in a coach. She creates such an inclusive environment. She is really encouraging and so positive.”
 
Now, in the preseason, the Gaels have picked up where they left off with the same gritty momentum as last year. They’ve dominated both at home and away, with wins over UQAM, McGill, Ottawa, Acadia, and TMU. Their only loss was to McMaster in a game they took to five sets. However, after that loss they played the Marauders again the next day and swept them in just three.
 
“We’ve had a really successful preseason so far, but I think just heading into this season, for sure we have some really key games coming up like playing Brock at home in a few weeks and I know we are all just really excited to be competing hard and getting into some of these regular season games,” setter Shea Baker said.
 
 “Every year we have such a different team, so preseason is that time when we get to figure everything out. We get to figure out how we want to play with each other and the tone we want for the season. So far, it’s been a really good run for us. We’ve been really focused on nailing down our systems and have had really good communication. It’s been such a great opportunity because we’ve had everybody playing.”
 
As much as anticipation for the Brock rematch drives them, Women’s Volleyball is also looking for community support. They love to win on the road and have shown they can, but it’s the nights at the ARC that bring the most hype.
 
“We really need the crowd; we love the crowd,” Stewart said. “They are one of the elements that makes the game so much more fun.”
 
The Gaels will open their season on Friday at RMC, but you can join the crowd at the ARC for the first time this season on Nov. 10 at 6 p.m.