RECAP: Women’s volleyball fall to Sherbrooke in four sets

The Gee-Gees women’s volleyball team hosted the Sherbrooke Vert et Or on Sunday afternoon. Ottawa fell 3-1 to the visitors, giving up three consecutive sets in the loss.

Ottawa was in control during the opening set, claiming an 11-8 lead to force a Sherbrooke timeout. The Vert et Or strung some points together, but the Gee-Gees did not falter, climbing to a 25-18 win to open the match.

The second set went Sherbrooke’s way, but a few hits by Nicole Hildebrand and Audrey Odigie kept the Gee-Gees within reach. Chipping their way out of a 10-point deficit, Camryn Giddens made an impact from the serving line, helping the Gee-Gees bring the set within six points. Sherbrooke managed to put the set away at 25-17 to tie things up.

The third set was a much more even affair. Trading points with the Vert et Or, Danika Robert logged a service ace to claim the lead at 9-8. A series of unforced errors on the Ottawa side allowed Sherbrooke to get ahead, eventually taking the set 25-19.

Sherbrooke’s momentum carried into the fourth set, immediately scoring four points before Ottawa got on the board. Brynn Lewis continued to keep Ottawa’s opportunities alive with impressive work in the back row.

Despite Ottawa’s efforts, Sherbrooke finished the job, closing out the fourth set at 25-19 and claiming a 3-1 win.

Odigie led the game with 17 kills while Lewis and Grace McKale combined for 27 digs.

The Gee-Gees will get a chance to avenge their loss as they visit the Vert et Or on Feb. 4.

“We definitely worked out but we’ll need to fix a few things and clean things up to be as ready as we can be for next week,” Lewis said.

Following their upcoming rematch with Sherbrooke, Ottawa are slated for two more road games before closing out the regular season at home against UQAM on Feb. 18.

“We’re focused on supporting each other and sticking together as a team no matter what happens,” Lewis said. “We love having our fans with us, but we know that everyone will be supporting us from home.”