VOLLEYBALL (w): Power-hitter Iannotti shines as Martlets silence Citadins, share division lead

MONTREAL — Victoria Iannotti of St. Laurent, Que., scored a personal-best 25 points as the McGill University women’s volleyball team cruised to a crucial 3-1 conquest over division-leading UQAM at the Centre Sportif, Saturday. The set scores were 25-10, 26-28, 25-23 and 35-21.

It marked the resumption of play after a three-month hiatus and the result moved McGill into a first-place tie with UQAM. Both teams are now 8-3 and in a three-way tie with Sherbrooke (8-3). Only one game remains in the schedule, which was shortened by six games due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Iannotti, a 5-foot-9 power-hitter, was an unstoppable force, racking up 22 kills and three stuff blocks. The 22-year-old software engineering junior added 10 digs and one assist on the defensive side of the ledger.

She was accompanied in McGill’s deadly one-two punch combination by veteran Charlene Robitaille, a six-foot middle blocker from St. Jean, Que., who contributed 18.5 points. The nutritional science senior tallied 15 kills, two service aces, 1.5 blocks, 12 digs and a pair of assists.

Teammate Clara Poire, a kinesiology junior from Blainville, Que., was next with nine points, on the strength of seven kills and two aces.

For UQAM, three players reached double digits in scoring, led by 6-foot-1 veteran Gabrielle Archambault of St. Hubert, Que., who had 17.5 points. She was followed by Sabrina Mayer (16) and Laura Cote-Colin (11), both natives of Longueuil, Que.

The Martlets had a 55-47 edge in kills, a 7-3 margin in blocks and a 68-63 advantage in digs. Both teams were tied in aces with five apiece.

McGill will conclude the regular season by hosting Ottawa (1-9) at Love Competition Hall on Feb. 25 at 6:30 p.m. A final three-way tie atop the RSEQ standings is a distinct possibility as UQAM plays at Montreal (5-6) the same night, while Sherbrooke plays at UQTR (1-10). After looking at overall winning percentage (currently even) and head-to-head records (still even), the next tie-breaker would be sets won versus sets lost. But that is also very tight as McGill currently has a 27-16 record in sets played, while UQAM is 26-15 and Sherbrooke is 27-15. The next tie-breaker would be the ratio of total points for versus points against.

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BOXSCORE

RSEQ STATS & STANDINGS

SOURCE:
Earl Zukerman
Sports Information Officer
Athletics & Recreation
McGill University
TEL: 514-398-7012
EMAIL: earl.zukerman@mcgill.ca