The Queen's Gaels swept the Trent Excalibur 3-0 on Friday night in the ARC. The Gaels picked up their first win of the season in a dominant performance. Third year outside hitter Claire Carter (Business) led the attack with 15 kills, 2 service aces, and 2 block assists. Alongside their teammate was third year middle Lauren MacPhail (Arts & Science) who made 6 kills, 1 service ace, and 5 block assists. Third year middle Sophie Henson had a strong game on the service line, making 3 service aces. Third year libero Kendra Hudson was strong on defense with 8 digs.
The match started out close, with Carter making a service ace early in the first set, exciting the home bench. The Gaels called the first time out of the game, after three consecutive points from Trent. The teams exchanged points back and forth, with neither team finding a substantial lead until the Gaels tore away on an unanswered eight-point streak, distancing themselves 22-17 on the scoreboard. Partway through the set, setter Millin made a kill off the second contact at the end of a long rally, exciting the Gaels. Queen's finished the set 25-20 off a kill from Carter to go up 1-0 in the game.
The Gaels found their rhythm and continued to roll their offense in the second set, earning themselves the early lead. A huge kill by fourth year outside hitter Abigail McAlpine (Arts & Science) marked a ten-point lead for the home team, 20-10. The Gaels earned 9 of 10 consecutive points, not allowing the Excalibur to close the gap on the scoreboard. Queen's reached set point with a comfortable 24-15 lead. The second set finished similarly to the first, with a big kill from Carter to bring the Gaels up by two sets.
The Gaels continued to look confident in the third set, finding a quick lead. Queen's put up eight points in a row before Trent could respond, forcing an Excalibur timeout in an attempt to slow the home team's momentum. This did not phase Queen's, as Henson immediately responded with a service ace. The Gaels came through with staggering, strong, and strategic serves, with Pascale Galarneau (Health Sciences), McAlpine, Henson, Millin, Carter, and MacPhail each making a service ace in the final set. The Gaels closed out the game with a sweep as they took the final set 25-14 off the ace from MacPhail.
Up next, the Gaels will rematch against the Excalibur tomorrow afternoon at 4pm in the ARC. The Gaels earn their first win of the season and improve their record to 1-2, and will seek to continue to improve their record tomorrow.
