The Gee-Gees women’s volleyball team hosted the #8 Sherbrooke Vert et Or on Saturday afternoon.
With Montpetit Hall as host to the first meeting between the two teams, Ottawa stunned their visitors with gritty play all the way through, taking a 3-2 win.
“In the end it was a mindset win. We looked like we wanted it more,” said Gee-Gees head coach, Lionel Woods. “We’ve stuck with our process and this one turned in our favour. The team earned it.”
Forcing the Vert et Or into a timeout at 12-9, the Gee-Gees never gave up their lead throughout first the set.
Audrey Odigie delivered the final blow of the opening set, allowing Ottawa to take the set 25-20.
The second set was a back-and-forth contest with the Gee-Gees coming out on the attack first. Sherbrooke came back to tie things up at 7-7. After trading points, Maxim Langevin came through with a cheeky tip to reclaim the Gee-Gees lead at 16-15.
The Vert et Or never let the game get away, staying within a point right until the end. With a score of 26-24, Ottawa took the 2-0 lead.
Sherbrooke took charge in the third set, locking in three points before Ottawa got on the board. From there, the Gee-Gees struggled to put together consistent offence, allowing the Vert et Or to build a 14-5 lead.
The Gee-Gees went on a five-point run in attempt to close the gap, but the Vert et Or refused the give up many opportunities. Sherbrooke eventually took the set 25-12.
Again, Sherbrooke came out the stronger team in the fourth set. Trailing 11-5, the Gee-Gees went on a five-point run to close the gap at 11-10 before the Vert et Or ran away with it.
Sherbrooke forced a fifth set with a 25-16 win in the fourth.
The final set was tight, each team fighting to stay ahead. Ottawa took the lead at the halfway point, up 8-6. Nicole Hildebrand fired a string of huge kills to give the Gee-Gees the edge.
12-6 was the biggest lead the Gee-Gees were able to create. Sherbrooke chipped away at their deficit to bring it within three but Grace McKale put together a few powerful swings before Odigie flew in and finished the job.
Ottawa took the fifth set 15-11, securing the 3-2 win over the Vert et Or.
Odigie led the Gee-Gees with 23 kills in 27 points, while McKale followed with eight kills in 10 points and Hildebrand and Alana Leung contributed seven kills each. Langevin logged 46 assists and a pair of service aces.
“We work really hard… I have trust in everyone, I trust [Maxim Langevin] to set me a good ball, I just Audrey to put it away, I just Nicole to get a big block, and I trust every single person on the team to contribute,” said McKale. “There’s no pressure when you know that everyone can help you out.”
The Gee-Gees will close out the remainder of 2023 on the road with a double-header against UQAC. The teams have yet to meet as UQAC joined the RSEQ for the 2023-24 season. The team will return home on Jan. 9, 2024 to get the second half of their season started.