KINGSTON, Ont. (November 17 2018) - The Queen's Gaels (3-4) defeated the York Lions (4-1) in four sets on Saturday. The scores of each set were 23-25, 25-13, 20-25 and 20-25.
 
AMP DAY
Saturday's games were a part of 'Super Saturday' in support of AMP, the Austism Mentorship Program. A.M.P. pairs up Queen's student-athletes with children aged 6-18 in the Kingston community with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Founded in 2017, by former Gaels Football player, Emilio Frometa, the Autism Mentorship Program facilitates pairings with the goal of improving motor-skills for the children. 
 
The program currently has over 40 pairings and looks forward to continuing its growth. A.M.P. is set up today in the Alumni Lounge for the rest of the day; if anyone has any further questions about the program, please do not hesitate to come by!

GAME FLOW
The Gaels played  a strong offensive first set with kills made by Julia Wiercigroch (Mississauga, Ont.) and Danielle Corrigan (North Vancouver, B.C.). Queen's held a lead over the Lions but a tied game at 19-19 allowed York to overtake the Tricolour. 12 errors made by the Tricolour contributed to their downfall. The Gaels battled to tie the set at 23 all but a kill made by York and a Queen's attack error closed the set with a losing score of 23-25.
 
Caroline Livingston (Kelowna, B.C.) lead the way in the second set with strong offensive and defensive play. Queen's took an early lead in the second set with 5-point serving rally by Wiercigroch. The Tricolour conserved their lead with strong blocks made by Livingston and Saffron van der Linde (Vancouver, B.C.). A service ace made by Arielle Palermo (Burlington, Ont.) and a tip made by Livingston extended their lead. With 11 point lead, the Gaels fought to close the set. A block by Livingston and 19, brought the set to a score of 24-13 and an error made by the Lions. The set went to the Gaels with a score of 25-13.
 
The Gaels took a slight lead early on in the set and continued to build on it throughout the third. A kill made by Saffron van der Linde and a serving ace made by Corrigan added to the Gaels lead. Queen's capitalized on the York errors throughout the set and a kill made by Corrigan ended the third in favour of the Gaels with a score of 25-20.
 
A kill from 8 started the fourth set off strong allowing the Gaels to take a 3 point lead over the Lions. A tip made by Sierra Hardy (Oakville, Ont.) and a service ace for Palermo added to the Gaels lead. Great defensive efforts made by Alexandra Tsiofas (Toronto, Ont.) held the Lions from catching the Tricolour lead. The Gaels took advantage of the York errors in the fourth set and a kill by Palermo ended the set and the game with a score of 25-20.
 
BY THE NUMBERS
5 - aces made by the Gaels
6 - blocks made by Saffron van der Linde
13 - kills for Caroline Livingston
 
FINAL SAY
"[Since last weekend,] we got back to playing our system with an aggressive offence, being faster out there and we are starting to play the right way again and it showed today." - Ryan Ratushniak, Head Coach
 
UP NEXT
The Gaels remain on home court for a game against the Nipissing Lakers in the ARC, on Sunday November 18th at 1pm.