Volleyball: Beliveau coaches 901st game as Plante paces Martlets in sweep over Seahawks
Team captain Genevieve Plante of Montreal had 12 kills and Ashley Norfleet of Brossard, Que., added 10 as the McGill women's volleyball team swept memorial University of Newfoundland 3-0 in interlocking tournament play between the Atlantic and Quebec conferences at Love Competition Hall, Friday.
The set scores were 25-22, 25-13 and 25-19, which snapped a two-game losing slump for the Martlets, who improved to 4-5 in regular season play. However, fourth-place McGill gained no ground on their RSEQ conference opponents as each won their interlocking match, with third-place Montreal (7-4) defeating Cape Breton 3-1, second-place Sherbrooke (8-3) winning by an identical score over UNB and first-place Laval (9-2) sweeping Moncton 3-0.
Plante, a 5-foot-9 power-hitter, added 11 digs and a 1.61 passing ratio to go with her offensive outburst.
Norfleet, a 5-foot-11 freshman power-hitter, was also credited with four digs.
Marie-Christine Lapointe, a six-footer from St. Jean sur Richelieu, Que., led the Martlets with 13 digs, while fifth-year setterMarcela Mansure, who hails from Brazil, had a game-high 24 assists.
McGill had a lopsided 38-20 edge in kills over the Seahawks, who had a team-high seven kills byAngela Peddle.
"I think we served much better overall today because we have played the last few weeks against the other Quebec teams, who are all ranked in the Top 10," said McGill bench bossRachele Beliveau, who was recognized in a brief ceremony before the contest for coaching her 900th game with the Martlets, in last Sunday's road loss against the Montreal Carabins.
"We were more in control of the ball, we hit well and had much improved intensity," added Beliveau, who now has a 465-434-2 record overall.
The three-day tourney continues at the Currie Gym on Saturday as each team plays twice, for a total of with eight games, beginning at 11 am. McGill will take on the UNB Varsity Reds at 1 p.m. and the Cape Breton Capers at 8 p.m.
