Gaels crush Lakers in Women’s Volleyball

Queen’s Gaels take both in doubleheader against Nipissing

Hannah Romkema Staff Writer

The Nipissing Lakers travelled down to Kingston last weekend for two games against Queen’s Women’s Volleyball, both of which ended in exhilarating wins for the Gaels. On Friday, the Gaels won all three sets before claiming victory in four on Saturday.

The energy in the ARC this weekend was unmatched as the Gaels worked together as a team. Lots of excellent communication from Queen’s united them on the court and contributed to their win while the fans matched their energy and brought encouragement to the gym.

“I think that our mental toughness has gotten a lot better, and we’ve been really trying to focus on being a unit on and off the court,” outside hitter Mary Stewart said in a post-game interview with The Journal.

Saturday’s game was filled with highlight moments. The first set featured incredible block and hit combos from Queen’s to help secure the win.

In the second set, Stewart went on a streak of seven beautiful serves which resulted in a nine- point lead of 22-13 for Queen’s. Nipissing responded by serving into the net before sending the next ball out of bounds. Vivian Zanutel ended the set with a killer hit to give the Gaels their second win.

The third set was immediately off to a slower start as the Lakers went up 5-0. However, this didn’t last as Stewart secured a pivotal tip that broke the losing streak for Queen’s.

Throughout this set, Lauren Mellon and Hannah Duchesneau worked well together to execute several blocks; they prevented four points from Nipissing in this set alone. Unfortunately, the set ended with a score of 25-18 for the Lakers to send the game to a fourth set.

In the final set, Stewart’s serves were phenomenal yet again, and Duchesneau displayed several amazing hits. This set ended 25-14 for Queen’s, winning them the game.

“In this game, our serving was lights out. I think both days our serves were amazing, and our middles did a great job of staying active and blocking the tough shots,” Gael setter Shea Baker—who was named Varsity Student Athlete of the Week—said in a post-game interview with The Journal.

Baker also spoke of the work the team has put in since the break.

“We’ve been working really hard since we got back from Christmas break and our main goal right now is to get to nationals,” she said.

“We’re just trying to get into a good spot for playoffs, and I think we’ve been doing a really great job gelling as a team. Our connection is growing between all the players, especially with a lot of players leaving and a lot of new ones coming in. We have definitely developed a new energy this year.”

After the game, Stewart spoke about how the hard work her team is putting in off the court has translated to their recent success on the court.

“I feel like we can beat any team if everyone’s firing and we remain focused and I’m just really excited for what’s to come and excited for the challenge,” Stewart said.

Catch their next game on Friday against the Western Mustangs at 6 p.m. at the ARC.