February 25, 2012
Queen's and Ottawa to meet for OUA women's volleyball gold
Game 2 - Ottawa Gee-Gees vs. RMC Paladins:
The Gee-Gees took advantage of the home crowd energy to clinch their spot in the OUA final tomorrow, sweeping the RMC Paladins in three straight sets. The Garnet and Grey will now face the Queen’s Gaels in the gold medal match-up, after the Gaels defeated the Varsity Blues 3-2 earlier today in semi-final action.
After the game, Gee-Gees head coach Lionel Woods was very pleased with his team’s performance, especially with the great teamwork between second year hitter Karina Krueger Schwanke (Blumenau, Brazil) and third-year setter Christina Grail (London, Ont.). “It’s fun to watch them play but right now we’re just happy to be in the gold and it’s going to be a heck of a match,” noted Woods.
The Gee-Gees’ powerful attacks kept the Paladins on their toes, and they struggled to control the placement of their digs. The Gee-Gees were dominant in attacks on net, amassing a total of 47 kills against RMC’s 15.
The Garnet and Grey saw a slow start in the first set, falling to an early 5-1 deficit, until Krueger Schwanke helped the Gee-Gees tie the score at 5-5 and take an 8-6 lead. After that, the Gee-Gees did not look back, and Krueger Schwanke went on to pick up two aces to help the University of Ottawa win the first set 25-14.
The second set saw a great performance by Christina Grail who, thanks to precise passing and two surprise dumps on the opponent’s court, helped the Gee-Gees to a 25-18 victory.
In the third set, the Paladins lost the service of one of their best players, Melissa McCoy, who suffered an ankle injury. They still managed to give the Gee-Gees some trouble, but the Garnet and Grey would finally go on to take the last set with a score of 25-17 thanks to another ace by Krueger Schwanke.
The Gee-Gees must now shift their focus to their next opponent, the Queen’s Gaels, against whom they split their regular season match-ups. “We have to play our best,” explained Woods with regards to tomorrow’s match-up. “Each individual has to play well. Queen’s has a lot of excitement, passion and enjoyment of the game, and they are fun to play because of that. So we just have to match that as a group. I think both teams have equal talent, equal individuals that can win the game, so I think it’s going to come down to the best team. ”
Norah Collins of RMC was named player of the game for the Paladins, while Karina Krueger Schwanke received the honour for the Gee-Gees.
Game 1 - Queen's Gaels vs. Toronto Varsity Blues:
The Queen’s Gaels and the Toronto Varsity Blues were battling for a spot at the OUA Final this afternoon, during the opening match of the OUA Final Four at the University of Ottawa. The Gaels won the two first sets, but the Varsity Blues won the third and the fourth, forcing a thrilling fifth and decisive set. Finally, the Gaels captured the match 3-2 and have now to wait for the winner of the uOttawa Gee-Gees and RMC Paladins game.
Queen’s kept the lead for the major part of the fourth set, taking a 15-10 lead at one point. The Varsity Blues never gave up and came from behind to tie the game 22-22. The Varsity Blues then forced a fifth and decisive set by winning the fourth frame 26-24.
The teams knew what was waiting for the winning team at the end of the fifth set and both squads dug in for a tightly contested set. Queen’s finally managed to pull ahead with a 12-9 and carried the momentum to a 15-10 set victory.
Second-year LS/RS Charlotte Sider was the top scorer of the match as she finished with 21 kills and nine digs and was named the player of the match for Toronto.
Fourth year Natalie Gray, who was named player of the game for Queen’s recorded 28 kills and 17 digs during the game. Her teammate Becky Billings finished the game with 16 kills and 15 digs.
Courtesy: Gee-Gees Athletics
