This past week delivered a wide array of results for McGill’s Redbirds and Martlets, with overtime heartbreak, senior celebrations, and a tough road loss setting the stage for the upcoming Winter semester regular season finales. From volleyball victory to hockey hurt, McGill teams battled across multiple venues as they prepared for their respective playoff pushes.

The Martlets Volleyball team banded together for a dramatic 3–2 victory over the École de technologie supérieure (ÉTS) Piranhas on Feb. 8 at Love Competition Hall. The match marked the squad’s first five-setter of the season, with McGill prevailing 25-17, 25-15, 21-25, 19-25, 15-10.

Emma Waskiewicz recorded a match-high 16 kills while Selima Guidara dished out 38 assists in what proved to be a fitting home finale for the program’s graduating players. Seniors Guidara and Emilia Grigorova were fondly celebrated in a post-game ceremony following their final match at Love Competition Hall.

The victory lifted the young and slightly rebuilt Martlets squad to 7–13 on the season and snapped a six-match losing streak. McGill then travelled to Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières (UQTR), suffering a 2-3 defeat on Thursday before moving forward to wrap up the regular season against Laval University on Valentine’s Day, where they unfortunately fell short 1-3 against a relentless opposition.

Redbirds Hockey persisted through a difficult week on the road, dropping both of their games by painfully narrow margins. After a thrilling 3-2 overtime victory over the Queen’s University  Gaels on Feb. 6, McGill unfortunately could not build and maintain its positive momentum in its subsequent matchups.

The week began with a heartbreaking 4-3 overtime loss to cross-town rival, the Concordia University Stingers, in the Corey Cup showdown on Feb. 7 at the Ed Meagher Arena. After battling back from a 2-0 deficit to take a 3-2 lead in the third period on Mathieu Gagnon’s goal, the Redbirds saw Concordia equalize and eventually prevail when captain Simon Lavigne scored on a breakaway in overtime.

The struggles continued Wednesday night with a 5-4 loss at Carleton University, leaving McGill with a 16–8–2 record leading up to their regular season finale. The Redbirds hosted the Ottawa University Gee-Gees on Valentine’s Day at the McConnell Arena in a dominant 4-0 victory in what was their final regular-season tilt before the OUA playoffs begin next week.

Bouncing over to basketball, the Martlets Basketball team suffered a disappointing 56-53 loss to the Bishop’s University Gaiters on Feb. 5 at Mitchell Gym, as a dominant second quarter from the Gaiters proved decisive. After leading 16-9 following the opening frame, McGill was outscored 23-12 in the second quarter, turning a seven-point advantage into a six-point halftime deficit they could never fully erase.

Emilia Diaz-Ruiz, still recovering from injury, paced McGill with 16 points and nine rebounds in 20 minutes off the bench. Lily Rose Chatila added 13 points and Daniella Mbengo contributed 12, but the Martlets struggled from beyond the arc, converting a faltering four of 20 three-point attempts.

The loss snapped McGill’s three-game winning streak and dropped them to 9–4, slipping into second place in the Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ) standings behind Laval University. However, a hard-fought victory in the late stages of their home win against Concordia (57-52) shifted their momentum heading into the last two games of the season against Laval and L’Université du Québec à Montréal (UQÀM). That being said, a comfortable first-seeded Laval team fought off the McGill momentum in Quebec City to close out another 57-52 victory, securing their spot at the top of the rankings for the season. The Martlets, currently holding third place in the league, will be determined to secure a victory in their last game of the season.

As Redbirds and Martlets compete on home ice and courts in what is shaping up to be a bitter winter, a high-stakes playoff season looms ahead, giving the regular season finales added significance across all McGill programs. Teams will look to build momentum heading into the postseason, with strong performances serving as crucial confidence boosters before the stakes rise even higher. For McGill athletics, February has delivered its fair share of drama, but the most important games have yet to come.