KINGSTON, Ont. (November 28, 2015)- Shannon Neville and Caroline Livingston each recorded 12 kills, and the Queen's Gaels women's volleyball team finished off the first half of the regular season with a 3-1 (25-16, 25-22, 20-25, 25-15) win over the visiting Waterloo Warriors at the Athletics and Recreation Centre (ARC) on Saturday night.
 
Neville led the Gaels with a total of 15.5 points, which also included 2.5 blocks and an ace, while Franzi Wilhelm added 43 assists in the victory for the Gaels, who worked at a .278 hitting efficiency. Queen's improves to 5-5 heading into the holidays, while the Warriors drop to 4-6. Waterloo was led by Alyson Colpitts, who tallied a game-best 18 points in a losing cause.
 
GAME FLOW
After the teams traded points early in the first set, the hosts strung together a run to take a seven-point lead at the technical timeout. Waterloo picked up three of the next four points coming out of the break, but after a Warriors timeout at 18-12, Livingston followed a solo block with a kill to further extend the Gael lead. Victoria Wensley (Coquitlam, B.C.) then served up an ace, capping a 4-0 run that pushed the set out of the Warriors reach.  
 
Looking to draw even, Waterloo jumped out to a 4-1 lead early in the second stanza. The hosts responded by winning six of the next eight points. Niki Slikboer (Seagrave, Ont.) and Livingston (Kelowna, B.C) picked up a kill each, giving Queen's a 16-13 lead at the technical.
 
After Waterloo evened the match at 17-17, Neville (Cambridge, Ont.) responded with a block and a kill, helping spur the women to a late run that put them on the verge of a two-set lead. The Warriors saved four set points in a row to make things interesting, but a service error allowed the Gaels to take a commanding match lead.
 
The Warriors used some strong hitting to build a four-point lead in the third set, and maintained that spread up to the technical timeout. Queen's cut the deficit to two on a tip over the block from Livingston, but the visitors remained stingy in their play, not allowing the Gael offence to get into a rhythm. Backed by some good serving from Casey Clunas, who tallied two aces late in the set, the Warriors got on the board and cut the Gael lead in half.  
 
After giving up the first three points of the fourth set, the women streaked for six-straight points on Wilhelm's (Lichtenstein, Germany) serve to move in front. An ace from Emily Ibbotson evened the set, but the Queen's offence found its footing after a quiet third set, and the hosts notched six points in a row again, forcing Waterloo Coach Richard Eddy to take his final timeout before the technical break.
 
Livingston picked up an ace coming right out of the technical, and Shannon Hopkins (North Vancouver, B.C.) added an open court kill to push the lead into double-digits. Waterloo was able to take a small chunk out of the spread, but could not muster enough momentum for a serious comeback bid.
 
FINAL SAY
"We were way better (than last night) in our start and throughout the bulk of the match," said Head Coach Michael Ling. "We really put the pressure on them with our serving tonight, so we made it really tough for them in that regard."
 
On the first half of the season
"I thought we left a couple of matches out there, which is a little tough to take. But to come away even keel right now bolsters our resolve for the second half of the season. And I think with our performance tonight there is lots of room to grow and exceed our expectations."
 
BY THE NUMBERS
.467- Niki Slikboer's hitting percentage. The fourth-year middle picked up eight kills and just one error.
15- Alyson Colpitts led all players with 15 kills in a losing cause for Waterloo
1- Queen's tallied just one attack error in the fourth set, garnering an offensive efficiency of .333
 
UP NEXT
The Gaels resume conference play after the holiday break, beginning with a trip to Thunder Bay, Ont. to take on the Lakehead Thunderwolves on January 15. The women return to the ARC the following weekend when they host York and Nipissing.