RECAP: Women’s volleyball places fifth at Gee-Gees Pre-Season Classic
Last weekend, Montpetit Hall welcomed 10 teams from across the nation to compete in the Gee-Gees Pre-Season Classic for the first time since 2019.
The weekend saw all four U SPORTS conferences in attendance, seeing the teams split into two brackets, Garnet, and Grey pools. The Garnet pool featured Toronto, UBCO, McMaster, Saint Mary's, and the Gee-Gees, while the Grey pool included Montreal, UQAM, Thompson Rivers, Guelph, and Dalhousie.
The Gee-Gees opened pool-play on Friday versus McMaster. Sullie Sundara, an outside hitter for the Canada's U21 Junior National Team, led the offence for McMaster. The Gee-Gees were able to get within a handful of points with strong contributions from both Audrey Odigie and Avery Hughes on the outsides, but couldn't overcome the Marauders, who were one of the top teams in the nation last year.
The second match for the Gee-Gees saw the tides turn in favour of the home team. Ottawa was relentless against Saint Mary's in the 2-0 win, not allowing the opposing team to score more than 20 points each set. The passing of the Gee-Gees came to life in full force against the Huskies, allowing setter Maxim Langevin to connect with her offensive arsenal.
Ottawa's first match on Saturday was against the Toronto Varsity Blues, where the Gee-Gees had to adjust to the height and speed of the U of T squad. The Varsity Blues would go on to take the game in a 2-0 fashion.
The Gee-Gees final round robin match came against the UBCO Heat, the eventual tournament champion. Ottawa battled hard, dropping the match 2-0, however only by three points each. The Gee-Gees were anchored by first-year Nicole Hildebrand, who recorded a half-dozen aces and nearly 2 blocks a set.
One of the last games of the Pre-Season Classic was a fight for fifth place. This match featured the Gee-Gees taking on last year's AUS champions, in Dalhousie. Ottawa quickly put the pressure on the Tigers, jumping out to an early lead following a 25-19 set win. The second set began with multiple service streaks from Dalhousie, resulting in a 17-10, which the Gee-Gees overcame to win the set by two points. The final and deciding set was a lopsided one, with the Gee-Gees powering to a 20-6 lead, and closing out the win by a 25-9 final margin. Grace McKale led the home team with double-digit kills, while Michaela Jones set the defensive tone.
Audrey Odigie, who is set for a breakout first season, was recognized as a tournament All-Star thanks to outstanding play on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball.
"All 14 players contributed this weekend," said Gee-Gees head coach Lionel Woods. "We've played some of our best volleyball up to date this weekend, and we can't wait for our home opener in three weeks."
Tickets for the Gee-Gees home opener on Sunday, Oct. 30 at 1:00 p.m. on sale at tickets.geegees.ca. Ottawa opens the regular season on the road against UQAM on Friday, Oct. 14.