Laval outlasts Martlets in marathon playoff opener
By Earl Zukerman
QUEBEC CITY – McGill veterans Kelsey Irwin and Jennifer Thomson
scored 20 and 14 points, respectively, but it was all in vain as
Laval outlasted the Martlets 3-2 in an epic opener to the Quebec
university women’s volleyball best-of-three semifinal playoff
series before 270 fans at Centre PEPS, Thursday.
In a marathon that took two hours and 35 minutes to play, the Rouge
et Or outlasted McGill by set scores of 22-25, 25-23, 25-20, 27-29
and 15-9.
Marie-Christine Mondor and Mélanie Savoie shone offensively for
Laval. Mondor racked up 30 points on 23 kills, six service aces and
three assisted blocks. The native of Mascouche, Que., was also
credited with 22 digs. Savoie, a 5-foot-7 power-hitter from St.
Sylvestre, Que., contributed 22 kills, one stuff block and 17
digs.
“It was the longest match I can ever recall during my time at
McGill,” said Rachèle Béliveau, who has 392 victories under her
belt in 18 seasons as head coach of the Martlets. “Its tough to
lose a match like that but we played well. They just played a
little better than us.”
Irwin, a six-foot middle blocker from Vancouver, B.C., led the
Martlets with 15 kills, to go along with an ace, three stuff
blocks, a pair of assisted blocks and seven digs.
Thomson, a senior power-hitter from Rosemere, Que., had 14 kills,
15 digs and posted a 2.20 passing ratio out of 3.0.
Teammate Amélie Trottier-Picard, a sophomore setter from Longueuil,
Que., recorded 43 assists, four kills, three aces and nine
digs.
The two teams will hook up again on Saturday at Love Competition
Hall in the McGill Sports Centre. Tip-off is slated for 6
p.m.
McGill finds themselves in a must-win situation to even the series
at 1-1 and force a rubber match back in Quebec City on Sunday at 2
p.m.
The winner of this series will advance to the best-of-three
conference final against the No.1-ranked Montreal Carabins but
regardless of the outcome, both Quebec finalists automatically
qualify for a berth at the CIS national championships in
Fredericton, Feb. 26 to Mar. 2.
Short Box Score
(Feb. 5, 2009 at Quebec City)
Laval def. McGill 3-1 (22-25,25-23,25-20,27-29,15-9)
McGill (2)
(Kills-aces-blocks) -
Kelsey Irwin 15-1-5; Jennifer Thomson 14-0-1; Kaiva Mateus 10-0-3;
Emily Kyte 6-0-2; Amy Graham 4-0-0; Amelie Trottier-Picard 4-3-1;
Sarah Howell 1-0-0; Alexandra Sheppard 1-0-1;
Totals 55-4-8.0.
(Assists) -
Amelie Trottier-Picard 43.
(Dig leaders)
- Jennifer Thomson 15; Sarah Howell 14; Amy Graham 14; Amelie
Trottier-Picard 9; Emily Kyte 8
Laval (3)
(Kills-aces-blocks) -
Marie-C. Mondor 23-6-3; Melanie Savoie 22-0-1; Julie Rodrigue
12-1-4; Karine Ducharme 6-1-1; Krystel Nadeau 3-1-3; Catherine
M-Julien 1-0-0; Genevieve B-Tremblay 1-0-0; Sarah L.-Levesque
0-0-2;
Totals 68-9-8.0.
(Assists) -
Sarah L.-Levesque 48.
(Dig leaders) -
Catherine M-Julien 26; Marie-C. Mondor 22; Melanie Savoie 17; Julie
Rodrigue 15; Sarah L.-Levesque 13
Site: Quebec, Qc (Centre PEPS)
Date: 5 fev. 09 Attend: Time: 2:35