The hottest team in the OUA steamrolls past the University of Toronto (U of T) and up the OUA standings.
Coming off an emotional weekend at home, the Queens Women’s volleyball team had to reset and refocus on the road against the U of T Varsity Blues. A road trip that had serious playoff seeding implications on Feb.6 and 7, both teams went into the game with 11 wins, hoping to break through to the top of the OUA standings.
READ MORE: Volleyball Weekend Recap
To break it all down and feel the emotions from the court, The Journal sat down with Head Coach Shanice Marcelle. Reflecting on last week’s performance, Marcelle was thrilled with her team’s play, especially the way they played in tight, high-pressure games. “I think it just really builds our confidence moving forward”, Marcelle said. The team was hoping to ride the high of the victory at home into Toronto.
In the first match, Marcelle admitted that her team “didn’t have their best game,” however, they were able to figure it out with some great service play and defence. Despite losing the first game 25-20, the Gaels fought back, winning the second game 25-21. Queen’s would win the next two games to secure the match victory on night one.
Three players stood out with tremendous efforts in the game, including outside Pascale Galarneau, ArtSci ’26, who led the game with 17 kills. To help her set up those kills was setter Kennedy Millin, ArtSci ’26, who had 49 assists in the game, distributing the ball perfectly to help the Gaels attack. Lastly libero, Holly Biasi, ArtSci ’26, had a game-high 22 digs, helping her team in key situations on the defensive side. “Getting the win on night one set us up for success on night two,” Marcelle said.
Night two was successful, winning all three games, including a dramatic come-from-behind victory in the third game that saw another game finish 26-24. Veteran outside Claire Carter, Comm ’27, led the way with 15 kills, 10 digs and an ace to add to her stat line. She’s been an absolute force on the court this year, ranking in the top 10 in Kills per set in the OUA.
Marcelle’s very appreciative of how her seniors have really stepped up for the team this season. “They’ve developed a high-level trust outside of volleyball that they can bring to the court,” Marcelle said. “They really want the best for each other and the team, and that’s gotten us a long way.”
With the two wins over the weekend, Queen’s has sprinted up to third place in the OUA, with the potential of climbing even higher. Two games remaining on the regular season’s schedule as they take on the uOttawa Gee Gees on Feb. 13 and 14, respectively.
Tags
Claire Carter, Head Coach Shanice Marcelle, Holly Biasi, Kennedy Millin, OUA, Volleyball
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