The University of Toronto Varsity Blues women’s volleyball team hosts the Ottawa Gee-Gees in their first game of 2010 this Saturday, January 9 at the Athletic Centre Sports Gym.
Toronto hosted the 19th annual National Invitational Tournament (NIT) over the holiday exam break and went an impressive 3-1, defeating non-conference opponents UNB Varsity Reds, Winnipeg Wesmen and Dalhousie Tigers, while falling to OUA foes, the Brock Badgers.
U of T is currently 5-4 and sit in second place in the OUA East division, while the Gee-Gees are 4-5 and tied for third place with the Queen’s Gaels.
The Blues last met the Gee-Gees in the 2008-09 OUA quarter-finals where Toronto came away with a 3-0 (25-20, 25-19, 25-19) victory. Last year, Toronto split the regular season series with Ottawa 1-1, with a 3-0 (21-25, 17-25, 21-25) loss on the road on Jan. 11 and a 3-0 (27-25, 25-13, 25-22) win at home on Jan. 30.
Fifth-year standout Heather Bansley (Waterdown, Ont.) currently leads the OUA, averaging 5.08 points per game, while veteran players Karlee Diesing (Coquitlam, B.C.) and Kristina Valjas (Toronto) have also established a strong presence on the court, averaging 3.08 and 3.15 points per game, respectively. Blues setter Kathleen Mahannah (North Vancouver, B.C.) is ranked third in the province with 9.09 assists per game.
The Gee-Gees are led by first-year leftside hitter Karina Krueger-Schwanke (Blumenau, Brazil) who averages 2.98 points per game. Ottawa, Ont. native Stephanie McGuinty averages 2.33 points per game, while fifth-year veteran Joanie Beauregard-Veillette (Rouyan-Noranda, Que.) has 2.14 points per game.
The Blues and Gee-Gees square off at 4p.m. on Saturday. Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for youth and non-U of T students, U of T students and children 12 and under are free. Advance sales are available through http://www.ticketbreak.com or by calling 1.866.9.GET TIX (943-8849).
For more information, scores and highlights on your favourite Toronto teams, please visit the home of the Varsity Blues at http://www.varsityblues.ca.
