CIS women's volleyball Saturday roundup: No. 1 Spartans make short work of No. 7 Dinos

This win was crucial for the Gee-Gees in their continued efforts to secure a playoff match at home.

Despite struggling to get things going in the beginning, the Gee-Gees improved dramatically through each set, something head coach Lionel Woods was quick to point out: "The comment I made to them in game three was that every five minutes they were getting better and better. And by winning game three, they bought themselves a whole other 30 minutes."

Although it was unquestionably a complete team effort, first-year M/RS Kelsie English (Ottawa, Ont.) played a key role in turning things around in the third set and keeping the Gee-Gees winning hopes alive. She executed with control and was dominant in both her attacks and blocks at the net. She was named player of the game for the garnet and grey, finishing the game with 16 kills, two service aces, four digs and four blocks.

The intensity continued to rise in the fourth set, as the Gee-Gees and Lions battled it out point for point in what seemed to be a never ending set. Fifth-year setter Tess Edwards, Kanata, Ont., continued to do an excellent job controlling the play for the Gee-Gees, while fourth-year libero Claudia Seguin, St-Pascal Baylon, Ont., made countless saves in the backcourt to keep the rallies going. Edwards led the team in service aces with five, and also added three kills, 40 assists and 11 digs.

"We played really well together as a team," said Kelsie with regards to turning things around. "We really encouraged each other. When we make a mistake, we treated it as if it was nothing and moved on. It was incredible!"

"We lost to York in five sets at York, so to come back and beat York in five sets at home is even better."

Kelsie added that the support of the home crowd has a big impact on the team: "Just the atmosphere in the gym, having our family and friends watching, it helps us a lot."

Likewise, Woods echoed Kelsie's appreciation for their home base support: "There is no other home gym like ours, with this kind of crowd and this kind of energy."

The Gee-Gees will be back at home one more time tomorrow afternoon before facing the following four games on the road. They will host the Ryerson Rams (1-11 OUA) at 2:00 p.m. at Montpetit Hall.

Source: Ottawa Sports info

The Mustangs took the game in three straight sets for the second night in a row. Set scores were 25-16, 25-19 and 25-17.

Solid hitting and big blocks were key in Western's first set victory. Rebecca Oxland (Vancouver, B.C.) and Claire Morrow (London, Ont.) each contributed 5 digs and Western had a total of 10 kills.

The second set saw Western's Jenny Pierce (Oakville, Ont.) upset Queen's with her serves that included 2 aces. The Gaels could not catch up and the Mustangs took the set. Oxland added 4 kills to the set.

From the start of the third set it was obvious that Western was out to take the game in three straight. Kelly Frittenberg (Caledon, Ont.) and Pierce came out swinging, but it was Sarah Johnston's (Stratford, Ont.) serving that kept the Mustangs on top.

"We came in prepared and wanted to perform for the fans," said Mustangs assistant coach Rachelle Aupperle. "We're happy with the outcome and that we were able to get the job done in three."

With tonight's win, Western improves to 10-3 on the season. Players of the game were Frittenberg for the Mustangs and Natalie Gray from the Gaels.

Western will face Windsor Jan. 28 at Alumni Hall at 6 p.m. and Lakehead on Jan. 30 at 1 p.m.

Source: Western Sports Info

The Cougars reeled off seven points in a row with Tiffany Herman serving and shrugged off a match point at 26-25, ending the match with three consecutive points capped by a block from Herman and Michelle Sweeting.

Regina won the first two sets by 25-19 and 25-13 margins before the Wesmen got back into the match with a convincing 25-14 win in the third set.

"It would have been nice to go three straight again, but at the same time it was great to have some adversity and watch the girls handle it well," Cougars head coach Melanie Sanford said. "That's exactly what we needed to do to gain some confidence."

Meagan Onstad led the Cougars with 16 kills and fell one dig short of a double-double, ending up with nine. Roxanne Olynyk had 10 kills, while Sweeting, Solveig Nilson, and Kaitlyn Hughes all had nine. Herman ended up with 45 assists and 10 digs. Rebecca Rink led all players with 17 digs as the Cougars improve to 5-7 on the season.

Lauren Sears was stellar for the Wesmen, tying Onstad for the match lead with 16 kills and recording a match-high eight total blocks. Mackenzie Jeffrey had 15 digs and six blocks for Winnipeg, while Brittany Habing had 37 assists and 13 digs.

The Cougars will square off with Brandon at home next weekend, while Winnipeg will play host to the University of Alberta Pandas.

Source: Regina Sports Info

For Calgary, it was Ali Sandholm leading the way with eight kills, while libero Brooke Halvorsen had 14 digs and both Sandholm and Lindsay Russell each had four blocks.

Both teams will be back in action Jan. 28-29 with the Spartans traveling to play Saskatchewan, while Calgary will host Thompson Rivers.

Source: Trinity Western Sports Info

Manitoba improves to 9-5 on the season, with Alberta dropping to 7-5. Rachel Cockrell would lead the Bisons attack with 14 kills, while libero Nicole Hall would have 17 digs. The Bisons also picked up seven service aces in the contest, with Loewen leading with four, and Tricia Mayba adding three.

For the Pandas, Krista Zubick led with eight kills, while Jaki Ellis had 18 assists. Second in the assists category for the Pandas was Alyssa Jones, who also contributed with 15 digs.

Next up for the Pandas is a match up with the Winnipeg Wesmen over the January 28 and 29 weekend, while the Bisons have a bye.

Source: Manitoba Sports Info