Selima Guidara started Martlets Volleyball’s Friday night match with a serve to the visiting Université du Québec à Montréal (UQÀM) Citadins on Nov. 7. UQÀM clinched the first three points of the match, but their lead did not last long, as McGill tied the set up at 11-11 and then pulled ahead. The Martlets eventually secured the first set 25-23.

Set two started with a UQÀM serve and a point by the Martlets. The set was tied at 3-3 when UQÀM went on a run. McGill called a timeout to regroup, but it was not until set point with UQÀM up 24-16 that the Martlets lessened the score differential to 24-20. Unfortunately, the Citadins still managed to take the set 25-20.

With the game tied up, the race to victory intensified in the third set, where both teams battled to take charge. The match featured some long rallies and growing excitement from the crowd of around 200 people in McGill’s Love Competition Hall. UQÀM ultimately pulled ahead and sealed the victory 25-14, marking the largest point differential of the game. 

McGill stayed gritty in set four and tied it up at 7-7. The crowd was on the edge of their seats, watching both teams battle for the ‘W.’ The game was tied up at 14-14, then again at 15-15 and 16-16, before some unfortunate mistakes from the McGill side allowed UQÀM to pull ahead 19-16. While the Martlets fought until the end, the Citadins took the set 25-18 and therefore the match.

The team’s Head Coach Marie-Christine Lapointe was proud of the Martlets’ tenacity, saying they fought hard on defence and were disciplined with their blocks. This is Lapointe’s first year as Head Coach, following the legendary Rachèle Béliveau’s retirement after 34 years last season. The young coach and former member of the Volleyball Canada Junior National Team is thankful to have had Béliveau stay on as a coaching mentor this year.

“I’m feeling super excited and grateful to be here,” Lapointe said in an interview with The Tribune. “Rachèle is still here, and she’s helping me through all the phases, because she knows the ins and outs of this job. So it’s good to have her in my corner. And then when I have any questions, she’s there to help me. I’m well-surrounded, so it makes [coaching] easy.”

Lapointe praised second-year Emma Waskiewicz—the team’s libero—for her impressive defensive performance, and Captain Sandrine Methot for her strong presence on the block, movement in the middle of the court, and offensive finish. 

Waskiewicz, U2 Management, echoed her coach’s sentiments in an interview with The Tribune, saying her team found a fight in this match that was lacking in past games this season.

“In this match, we were really in it, and we went into it with ferocity. Our mindset changed a lot,” Waskiewicz expressed. “The rally was long, we fought on defence, and we also fought on offence.”

Methot, U2 Education, who recorded seven kills and three blocks during the match, similarly said the Martlets showed great fight in the night’s game.

“We really stepped it up today. Even though we lost in four, it was a great fight,” she said, in an interview with The Tribune. “Unfortunately, we made some mistakes that cost us the game, but I feel like we really gave it our all [….] We were digging every ball and going on the ground. The fight was really there. But I think we did make a lot of mistakes, and [UQÀM] did well, but we beat [ourselves].”

The pair are not just teammates, but good friends, and shared that they start every game day by juggling a soccer ball back and forth, trying to see how long they can keep it off the ground. They beat their record before Friday night’s matchup, logging 56 juggles.

Other Martlets with strong game performances include Emilia Grigorova and Justine Veillette, who each contributed eight points, and Guidara, who added 25 assists, 14 digs, two aces, and five assisted blocks.

The Martlets will face off again on Nov. 14 with the Université de Montréal Carabins, at 6:30 p.m. in Love Competition Hall.