Martlets master momentum, leave Laval languishing, force playoff rubber match

(Martlets celebrate playoff win over Laval to even best-of-three series at 1-1. photo by Derek Drummond)

MONTREAL - When Sir Isaac Newton wrote his laws of motion in the 17th century, he understood the importance of momentum in science but he never could have imagined the impact that it would play in sports.

Momentum played a huge role in the Quebec university women's volleyball playoffs, Saturday, as McGill rallied after losing 25-23 to Laval in the opening set and roared back to win three straight -- 25-22, 25-20 and 25-14 -- en route to a 3-1 victory over the Rouge et Or at Love Competition Hall.

The RSEQ best-of-three semifinal series is even at 1-1 and the long-time archrivals will duke it out in a rubber match near the Plains of Abraham in Quebec City, Sunday at 2 p.m. The winner advances to the RSEQ conference best-of-three final against the idle Montreal Carabins. Both finalists will receive at berth at the CIS championship in Hamilton, March 2-4.

Kaiva Mateus, a senior middle-blocker from Montreal West and Ottawa native Emily Kyte paced the Martlets offensively with the former registering a game-high 14 kills to go along with a pair of aces and five stuff blocks. Kyte, a third-year power-hitter, had 11 kills and one block.

The momentum really shifted in the third set, however, after a brilliant defensive manoever from Marie-Christine Lapointe, a kinesiology sophomore from St. Jean sur Richelieu, Que., with McGill leading by four points. The six-foot setter dove to the floor like a heat-seeking missile and somehow managed to get her hand on a ball that appeared to be a lost cause, registering a point-saving dig.

Shortly after that, it was Jacqui Ng's turn to shine. The six-foot marketing senior from Vancouver, B.C., registered an incredible block on a play that appeared to be a certain point for the Rouge et Or. She added six kills on the day.

Those two plays seemed to break the spirit of Laval, a perennial formidible opponent, and they played like lambs the rest of the way, while the Martlets roared like lions.

"We played very aggressively and that is what we practiced and what we preached,' said Rachele Beliveau, who registered her 449th career victory overall in 21 seasons as head coach at McGill. "In the series opener at Laval (the previous night), we played quite well but Laval made some lucky shots and we weren't able to recover. Today, they also made some great plays but we were able to reverse the momentum with a couple of key defensive plays."

McGill held a 9-5 advantage in service aces, a 47-41 edge in kills, a 9-6 difference in stuff blocks and a 65-58 margin in digs.

Lapointe, along with sophomore Genevieve Plante of Montreal each posted six kills. Plante, who also had an ace and one block, led the team in passing with a 2.25 ratio our of three.

The ghost of Sir Newton will no doubt be watching Game 3 on Sunday.

Rouge et Or vs Martlets (Feb 11, 2012)

Volleyball Box Score
Rouge et Or vs Martlets
(Feb 11, 2012 at Montreal)

Volleyball Detailed Stats
Rouge et Or vs Martlets
(Feb 11, 2012 at Montreal)