A long preseason awaits a young group looking to make some noise in a veteran-dominated OUA.
Queen’s Women’s Volleyball is coming off a successful season, finishing fourth in the OUA regular season with a record of 14-6. In the playoffs, after a smooth three-set victory over the Guelph Gryphons, the Gaels would lose to the OUA champion Brock Badgers in the semi-finals.
The team going into this year will look a little different, as multiple key veteran pieces have graduated from the program, including OUA Third Team All-Star, Abigail McAlpine, ArtSci ’26. As a result, there are six incoming first-year players who will look to make an impact this season.
To discuss the team dynamic and expectations, The Journal sat down with Head Coach Shanice Marcelle.
Reflecting on last year, Marcelle talked about the struggles her team had early on.
“We had a lot of turnover last season, so we had a lot of athletes stepping into roles for the first time,” Marcelle said. “I think the first half of the season was a reflection of that, but things really came together in the second half and carried that momentum into the playoffs.”
Focusing on this year, Marcelle explained that despite not training together over the summer, her team found ways to stay sharp.
“Claire [Carter] was lucky enough to make our national program, so she’s someone coming back with that leadership veteran presence, but a lot of our girls took strength and conditioning in their hometowns really seriously.”
Marcelle is excited for her new players to not only be a part of the team, but be able to make key impacts on the court. She believes they have a high level of skill, it’s just what she calls “building cohesion together.”
Marcelle mentioned two athletes in particular: Makenna Watson, ArtSci, ’30, a libero, and Adriana Lando, ArtSci ’30, an outside hitter, who she thinks will have good opportunities to succeed on the team this season.
Coming into preseason, the expectation for Marcelle is to “get people playtime and comfortable on the court.” Due to the 11 first and second-year players, the younger group allows them to be flexible and find their way as a team.
With the team being so young, Marcelle is relying on her existing veterans, including Claire Carter, Comm ’28, Lauren MacPhail, ArtSci ’27, and Kennedy Millin, ConEd ’27, to be leaders on and off the court.
For what students should expect coming to the ARC, Marcelle didn’t mince words, saying, “to expect a lot of firepower. We’re taller, very physical, and have offensive weapons from across the board, so expect a fast pace and a high level of volleyball from our team.”
The Gaels have several exhibition games, including Oct. 2 and 4 at the ARC versus the McGill Martlets and Oct. 23 and 24 against the Waterloo Warriors, but will open their season at home versus the Trent Excalibur on Oct. 30.
Tags
OUA, Volleyball, Women's Volleyball
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