MONTREAL – Elyssa Lajmi and Rachel Leduc each scored 13 points as McGill rallied from a lopsided opening set loss to upset the No.6 ranked Montreal Carabins 3-1 in a critical women’s volleyball game at Love Competition Hall, Sunday. After dropping the first set 25-11, the Martlets roared back to win 25-15, 25-13 and 25-18.
The result clinched the fourth and final playoff berth in the RSEQ conference for the Martlets, who finished with an identical 13-8 record as Laval but lost the higher seed based on the head-to-head season series. McGill needed a win to advance, eliminating UQAM (12-9) which would have had the tie-breaker over the Martlets.
The division-leading Carabins dropped to 19-2 and will confront McGill in the RSEQ best-of-three semifinal series, slated to open on Feb. 21.
The victory before a hearty crowd who trekked in despite a major snowstorm. Among those were more than 70 Martlets alumni on hand to celebrate head coach Rachele Beliveau, who was coaching in her final regular season game before retirement after 34 years at the helm. Parents and friends were also there to pay tribute to the team’s three graduating seniors, including Rachel Leduc and Charlotte Chouinard-Laliberte, both Montrealers, and Erin Keating of Deerfield, Illinois.