Badgers no match for nationally fifth-ranked Gee-Gees

"The thing I loved about this match is that our team-in their eyes, their body language, and their movement around the court-they looked the same from start to finish and it was a great match from that point of view. I really liked the way we looked and the way it felt the entire match," said Gee-Gees head coach Lionel Woods.
A motivated Brock Badgers squad came out strong in the first set, as Ottawa was only able to take a slim 9-8 lead midway through the first set. But to the delight of a packed Gee-Gees fanbase at Montpetit Hall, uOttawa went on a 16-2 run thanks to the English twins, with Kelsie excelling on the blocks and Myriam showing off her serving skills. Fourth-year setter Christina Grail helped clinch the set for the Gee-Gees with a few stellar serves of her own as Ottawa won the first set 25-10.

Once again, the second set was tight early on, with Brock even managing to take a short-lived lead at 8-7. Fifth-year middle Kathryn Weihrer made sure that the Gee-Gees wouldn't suffer a letdown as she scored a key point off a tip to turn the tide in Ottawa's favour. The Gee-Gees then went on a 14-2 run behind the extraordinary serving of third-year left side hitter Karina Krueger Schwanke. Late in the set, rookie Sophie Chenail and sophomore Colleen Morelli combined for a memorable block. Ottawa earned a 25-14 victory in the second set.

"Everything we talked about in practice this week, we were able to transfer to the match, in terms of our gameplan. Our communication was good and everyone was playing very happy and excited. We served very well and we were very active on the blocks," said Schwanke.

The Gee-Gees won the first six points of the third set with Grail serving, including a thunderous kill from Schwanke which was simply impossible for Brock to defend. Ottawa kept the pressure on, especially on offence, with Myriam English providing much of the firepower. While the Badgers made a small run near the end of the set to make the score more respectable, Ottawa won the third set 25-17.

The Gee-Gees' homestand will continue next weekend as uOttawa faces Western on Nov. 18 at Montpetit Hall.

Gee-Gees leading players: Karina Krueger Schwanke 15 points, 12 kills, 6 digs, Kelsie English 6 kills, 9 digs, 3 solo blocks, 4 block assists

Brock leading player: Lauren Stirling 11 assists, 4 digs, 3 points