Robin Kasem

Volleyball (W) 2/23/2016 11:17:00 AM Posted by: Peter Reimer (Sports Information Assistant)

Gaels Playoff Preview - Women's volleyball plays at Ryerson

Volleyball (W) 2/23/2016 11:17:00 AM Posted by: Peter Reimer (Sports Information Assistant)

Gaels Playoff Preview - Women's volleyball plays at Ryerson

The Gaels women's volleyball team plays at Ryerson on Saturday at 2pm to start their playoff run. You can watch it live on OUA.tv

PLAYOFF PREVIEW
WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL

RECORD: 12-7	Last time out: W 3-0 vs. RMC	STREAK: Won 4
WHO'S HOT?: Shannon Neville - Recorded 22 kills and 24 digs last weekend in two games vs. RMC

The third-seed Gaels women's volleyball team (12-7) hits the road as the OUA playoffs begin at 2pm on Saturday with a match at the second-seed Ryerson Rams (13-6).

Queen's finished the regular season on a four-game winning streak to secure the third spot on the OUA East, ending up just one win behind Ryerson in the standings. When the teams met during the regular season, the Rams were victorious on both occasions.

The Gaels played RMC in a home-and-home to end their regular season schedule last weekend, sweeping both matches 3-0. With 11 kills in each match, Shannon Neville (Cambridge, Ont.) was the leading scorer for Queen's, and added a total of 24 digs on the defensive side of the ball. Caroline Livingston (Kelowna, B.C.) led the defence with a combined 26 digs in the Gaels two wins. Other standout performances came from Shannon Hopkins (North Vancouver), who scored a game-high 12 kills at the ARC, Becky Wilson (Pickering, Ont.), who totalled 22 digs, and Franzi Wilhelm (Lichtenstein, Germany), who made a game-high 26 assists in the win at home. Neville ends the season atop the OUA kills chart with 228, while also leading all offensive players with 251 digs. In the 2014-15 playoffs, Queen's lost out to then No.1 Toronto in the first round.

Ryerson split their two matches on the final weekend of the regular season, beating Windsor in straight sets before losing 3-0 to Western. Theanna Vernon put up a team-high 15 kills in the loss and a game-high 14 kills in the win for Ryerson. Vernon boasts an OUA best .435 hitting percentage, the second highest block total in the league with 77, and is fifth in OUA kills with 205. Veronica Livingston is the other half of the Rams one-two punch, and finished the regular season with the second highest kill total of 222 and an OUA best 3.47 kills per set. Like the Gaels, Ryerson failed to make it past the first round of the playoffs last year, losing out to Ottawa.

Veronica and Caroline Livingston will carry out a family rivalry on the court Saturday, as Caroline travels with Queen's to the home of the Rams and big sister Veronica.

OUA East Women's Volleyball Playoffs

CURRENT MATCHUP

SERIES AT A GLANCE

(2) Ryerson Rams (13-6, 26 pts)
Home record: 8-2

Away record: 5-4

Regular Season

Oct 30/15	L 3-0 @ QUE
Jan 30/16	L 3-2 @ RYE

Playoff Schedule (Single Elimination)

Feb 27/16	QUE @ RYE 2pm

(3) Queen's Gaels (12-7, 24 pts)
Home record: 6-3

Away record: 6-4

Gael to watch

Shannon Neville | #6 | OH | Queen's
The Gaels fourth year was the most versatile player throughout the regular season, leading the OUA with 228 kills while also making 251 digs, the most of any non-libero in the league and ninth overall. The Cambridge, Ont. native was also ninth in the OUA with 3.7 points per set.

Libero low-down