RECAP: Women’s volleyball narrowly falls to Montreal in hard-fought game

In three tightly contested sets, the Gee-Gees women's volleyball team battled hard, but ultimately fell short against the visiting Montreal Carabins. 

NOVEMBER 24 vs. MONTREAL

The early moments of the first set featured both sides exchanging a handful of points, before the Carabins gradually built a 16-10 lead. The Gee-Gees then went on a 7-1 run, led by a pair of kills from Dana Bulloch, to tie the contest at 17.

Following a timeout, the Carabins adjusted to the Gee-Gees attack, and responded with a 8-2 run of their own to take the first set 25-19.

Montreal's momentum carried into the second set as they jumped out to a 5-1 lead. The resilient Gee-Gees refused to back down however, as they clawed back from numerous deficits over the course of the set.

A block from Bulloch tied the game at 22, but a pair of kills from Montreal helped take the second set by a margin of 25-23.

The Gee-Gees pushed hard in the third set. A kill from Kara Hayes capped an 8-1 run for the Garnet and Grey to take an 11-4 lead. 

The Carabins responded with some strong rallies, and eventually tied the game at 15.

The teams exchanged points back-and-forth and found themselves tied at 22 once more. 

While the team defended well, the Carabins attackers were able to tally three straight points to take the set 25-22 and the match.

STATS AT A GLANCE

• Kara Hayes led the team offensively with nine kills and 10 digs.
• Avery Hughes had one of her best games of the season so far. She generated four kills, two assists, and six digs in the match — all personal-highs on the season.

WHAT THEY'RE SAYING

"First set we looked tentative on easy things that had nothing to do with Montreal, and then that was the end of that. Set two and three, stuff that was unforced disappeared and we had a shot. You need to start your first set that way. A slightly different line-up again today, we have injuries and bodies missing. I do think Avery [Hughes], her energy was really positive, there was a positive presence there. … The beauty of this conference is we're 0-9 and we're not out of the playoffs. But we need to turn a match like that into a win" — Lionel Woods, head coach

UP NEXT

The Gee-Gees will close out the 2019 portion of the campaign with a pair of home games at Montpetit Hall. They'll host the Sherbrooke Vert et Or on Saturday, November 30 at 2:00 p.m. The following day, the Laval Rouge et Or visit at 2:00 p.m. Tickets are available now at tickets.geegees.ca