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Ottawa Gee-Gees

No. 4 uOttawa Gee-Gees lose heartbreaker 3-2 to No. 7 York Lions

No. 4 uOttawa Gee-Gees lose heartbreaker 3-2 to No. 7 York Lions

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November 25, 2012

On November 25, the Gee-Gees women's volleyball team played host to the York Lions in a highly-anticipated matchup between the two remaining undefeated teams in the CIS. Ottawa boasted an 8-0 record heading into the game and were ranked fourth in the country while the Lions were ranked seventh with a 7-0 mark. At the end of the day, there was only one undefeated team left in the country, but unfortunately for Gee-Gees fans, it was York who came out on top with a nailbiting 3-2 win.

"The two best teams in the OUA just played each other and somebody won by two points. We had three opportunities in the last set to win, but they stayed strong until the end," said Gee-Gees head coach Lionel Woods. "The bottom line is it wasn't a beating by either side; it was an absolute battle and I hope that if the two teams meet again in the future, we'll both be at our best again and we'll see what happens."

As expected, the two OUA powerhouses matched each other point for point to begin the first set, as the score was tied 6-6 early on. York scored the next three points in a row, and Woods called for a timeout in hopes of turning the tide. However, the Lions' momentum could not be stopped, as they took advantage of a disoriented Gee-Gees offence to stretch their lead to 13-7. The Lions' lead got as big as 18-12 before the Gee-Gees mounted a huge comeback, taking the lead at 22-21 after a kill by third-year right side hitter Kelsie English. The Gee-Gees ended the set on a 13-5 run to win 25-23.

The big collapse in the first set did not faze the Lions, who took an early 6-2 lead to start the second set. Once again, the Gee-Gees improved their play as the set progressed, tying the set at 15-15 after the English twins combined to score three straight points. But York made just a few more plays down the stretch this time around, as they took the second set by a 25-23 margin, despite the strong efforts of Myriam English and the two Gee-Gees middles, Kathryn Weihrer and Alix Durivage.

The Gee-Gees recovered quickly from their loss in the second set and started the third set on an 8-1 run. Then uOttawa made a slew of unforced errors to let the Lions back in the game, with the Lions leading 16-15 at the technical timeout. York never let up, finishing the set on an 18-6 run to take the set 25-20.

The fourth set belonged to Ottawa's Karina Krueger Schwanke, who scored five huge kills to spark a 14-2 Gee-Gees run. The Gee-Gees cruised to a surprisingly easy 25-12 win, after thoroughly dominating the Lions. And in the fifth and final set, Durivage scored four crucial points as Ottawa fought the Lions point for point, but fell just short 19-17.

The Gee-Gees will now host the nationally ninth-ranked Montreal Carabins on Nov. 29 in a key interconference matchup.

1 2 3 4 5 Final

York 23 25 25 12 19 3

Gee-Gees 25 23 20 25 17 2

Gee-Gees leading players: Karina Krueger Schwanke 21 kills, 8 digs,Myriam English 19 kills, 15 digs, 4 aces

York leading players: Brandie Wilkerson 17 kills, 6 digs