The Gee-Gees women’s volleyball team kicked off the 2021-22 season with two matches on the weekend.
Starting the season on home court at Montpetit Hall on Friday night, the Gee-Gees lost a competitive match 3-1 to the visiting Montreal Carabins. Despite the result, it was a warm reception for the team for their first game of the season with a sold out crowd in attendance.
Returning to the court on Sunday in Sherbrooke, Ottawa fell to the Vert et Or in straight sets to close the weekend.
On Friday, Montreal got off to a quick start, winning the first 25-11, the most lopsided of the night.
In the second, the Gee-Gees battled back and forth with the Carabins, before pulling away to win the set 25-20. The set win came thanks in large part to an impressive showing from first-year Gee-Gee Maxim Langevin, who had eight of her team-high 13 kills in the set.
In a quick turnaround, Montreal rallied in a competitive third-set, winning 25-20. In the fourth, they closed off the match with a 25-19 win in the final frame.
“After being so nervous in the first and bouncing back, that part is what I’m very happy about,” said Gee-Gees head coach Lionel Woods after Friday’s game. “Bounce back abilities are so important in this conference.”
On Sunday, the Gee-Gees hoped to carry some the momentum into their matchup with Sherbrooke, but in the end, were unable to leave their first road outing with a win.
After a more competitive first set, the Gee-Gees were unable to find their gear in the second set, falling 25-8. The Vert et Or closed out the win in the final set, by a score of 25-13.
With the rest of the season still ahead of the Gee-Gees, the most important stat of the weekend was that two matches were played. 621 days of waiting finally came to a close.
“I’m really happy with how the girls came together, there’s a lot of young players on the court,” said Tristan Peterson, who returns for her fifth season and third year of eligibility after missing 2019-20 with an injury and the cancelled season last year.
“It feels awesome, I’m so grateful to be out there wearing the garnet and grey,” said Peterson.
“I’m just grateful to be able to play right now, I think we all should be. I think we’ll improve slowly throughout the year, so I’m excited.”