No. 5 Gee-Gees close out first half in style, with 3-0 win over Windsor

"I'm real pleased with the way we won. A lot of players got to play today, and we didn't even wait until we got to a certain score to put them in," said Gee-Gees head coach Lionel Woods. "We're 9-1 but we do have eight tough matches left in the second half. We're going to have to push even harder now to take a shot at winning this thing."

An energetic Lancers squad came out firing on both sides of the ball to start the first set, as Windsor took a surprising 10-6 lead early on in the match. Windsor continued to make plays on defence, which led to a lot of long rallies, but the Gee-Gees eventually picked up the pace on offence, winning ten of the next eleven points in the set. Ottawa never relinquished their lead en route a 25-16 win in the first set. Third-year right side hitter Kelsie English led the way for Ottawa on defence, racking up an impressive nine digs in the frame.

Once again, the Lancers matched the Gee-Gees point for point early on in the second set, until the Gee-Gees started to pull away behind a solid, balanced attack. However, the Lancers did manage to mount a small comeback attempt, cutting the deficit to just 16-13 at the technical timeout. Ottawa earned a 25-22 win in the second set, with the final kill being scored by fourth-year setter Christina Grail off a tip. English had six kills in the frame, while sophomore Colleen Morelli contributed with four kills.

"We knew we had to be mentally prepared coming into the game, and Windsor played unbelievable on defence, throwing everything back at us, but I thought we were able to stay mentally strong throughout the match," said English.

The Gee-Gees had an easier time with a feisty Lancers squad in the third set, getting off to an 11-4 lead thanks to Grail's well-placed sets. With the Gee-Gees up 13-7, rookie setter Michelle Chevalier was subbed in for Grail and uOttawa's offence continued to roll. Reserves Kayla Bell-Hammond and Sophie Chenail excelled for the Gee-Gees in the third set; Bell-Hammond had missed much of the season so far with a knee injury. Ottawa won the final set of play 25-13.

uOttawa's next match will be an exhibition affair against the McGill Martlets in Montréal on Dec. 30.

Gee-Gees leading players: Kelsie English 10 kills, 11 digs, 2 blocks, Colleen Morelli 6 kills, 3 digs, 0.364 kill percentage

Windsor leading players: Kaila Seguin 9 kills, 7 digs