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The University of Toronto Varsity Blues kept their undefeated streak alive with a thrilling 3-2 (18-25, 25-17, 25-27, 25-23, 15-13) victory over the McGill Martlets in quarter-final action on Day 1 of the CIS women's volleyball championship in Brandon, Man.

The Blues advance to the CIS semifinals for the second straight season and will take on the winner of UBC-Okanagan and Dalhousie tomorrow at 7 p.m. EST to battle for a spot in Sunday's championship final.
 

WVB | Wow! @Varsity_Blues come back to win the fifth set and the opening match! Here's what it looked like pic.twitter.com/Vfp2d7kx5D

— CIS Volleyball (@CIS_Volleyball) March 11, 2016

Fourth-year left side hitter Caleigh Cruickshank led the Blues with 16.5 points on 14 kills, 1.5 blocks and one ace and added 15 digs, while third-year middle Tessa Davis notched 16 points on 11 kills and five blocks.

"What we really wanted to focus on was fighting for every point and being patient throughout the rally," said Caleigh Cruickshank. "McGill is a fantastic team who always brings the ball back, so you just always have to be ready for the second, third, fourth, fifth opportunity in a rally."

Sophomore left side hitter Anna Feore added 11 kills, two blocks, one ace and 16 digs, while CIS rookie of the year Alina Dormann notched 11.5 points and 12 digs on the day.

Fourth-year setter Madelyn Mandryk tallied 44 assists and six digs, with veteran libero Denise Wooding notching a game-high 28 digs in the victory.

After dropping the first set, 25-18, to the Martlets, the Blues battled back and got out to a 6-2 advantage early in the second. The Blues continued to roll and a kill from Cruickshank put them up 16-11 at the break. Davis notched 10 points through the first two sets and the Blues evened the match 25-17.

U of T kept rolling, getting out to a 9-4 lead in the third. The Martlets rallied to cut the deficit to two (8-10) but the Blues carried a 16-11 advantage into the technical timeout. McGill clawed back and evened the set at 19-19 and eventually took the 2-1 match lead, 27-25.

McGill built a 5-1 advantage but the Blues rallied to make it 5-5 early in the fourth set. Both teams traded points and U of T held a narrow 16-14 lead at the break. The see-saw battle ensued and U of T overcame a late 23-22 deficit in thrilling fashion to force a fifth set, 25-23.

Toronto controlled the fifth set, building an 8-5 lead at the switch and, despite a late push from the Martlets, sealed the victory, 15-13.  

"You know every match is tough here," said Varsity Blues head coach Kristine Drakich. "It's about managing the moments that are here. Every match is a battle and every opponent is tough for different reasons. It's about managing our side and being ready for a fight, another battle."

STAT LEADERS
 
Complete Stats: http://english.cis-sic.ca/championships/wvball/2016/championship
 

Toronto

Kills: Caleigh Cruickshank (14)
Points: Caleigh Cruickshank (16.5), Tessa Davis (16)
Blocks: Tessa Davis (1,8)
Digs: Denise Wooding (28)
Service aces: Alina Dormann (2)
 
Player of the match: Bojana Radan
 
McGill
Kills: Catherine Amyot (22), Myriam Robitaille (19)
Points: Catherine Amyot (23), Myriam Robitaille (22.5)

Blocks: Myriam Robitaille (2,3)

Digs: Marie-Eve Dorion (24)
Service aces: Emilie Matte de gras (3)
 
Player of the match: Myriam Robitaille
 
CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE & RESULTS (CENTRAL TIME)
 

Friday, March 11

12:30 Quarter-final #1: Toronto 3, McGill 2 (18-25, 25-17, 25-27, 25-23, 15-13)
14:30 Quarter-final #2: Dalhousie vs. UBC Okanagan (WCGtv / www.CIS-SIC.tv)    
18:00 Quarter-final #3: Brandon vs. Trinity Western (WCGtv / www.CIS-SIC.tv)    
20:00 Quarter-final #4: UBC vs. Montreal (WCGtv / www.CIS-SIC.tv)    
 

Saturday, March 12

12:30 Consolation #1: McGill vs. Loser QF #2 (WCGtv / www.CIS-SIC.tv)    
14:30 Consolation #2: Loser QF #3 vs. Loser QF #4 (WCGtv / www.CIS-SIC.tv)    
18:00 Semifinal #1: Toronto vs. Winner QF #2 (WCGtv / www.CIS-SIC.tv)    
20:00 Semifinal #2: Winner QF #3 vs. Winner QF #4 (WCGtv / www.CIS-SIC.tv)    
 

Sunday, March 13

13:00 5^th place (WCGtv / www.CIS-SIC.tv)   
15:00 Bronze medal (WCGtv / www.CIS-SIC.tv)    
18:00 Championship final (WCGtv / www.CIS-SIC.tv)    
 
About Canadian Interuniversity Sport
 
Canadian Interuniversity Sport is the national governing body of university sport in Canada. Every year, over 12,000 student-athletes and 700 coaches from 56 universities and four regional associations vie for 21 national championships in 12 different sports. CIS also provides high performance international opportunities for Canadian student-athletes at Winter and Summer Universiades, as well as numerous world university championships. For further information, visit www.cis-sic.ca or follow us on:
 
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/CIS_SIC  
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/cissports
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/universitysport
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/CIS_SIC
 
For further information, please contact:
 
Matt Packwood
Brandon University
T: 204-727-7375
C: 204-570-0842
E: packwoodm@brandonu.ca
 
Michel Bélanger        
Communications & Media Relations
Canadian Interuniversity Sport
T: 613-562-5670 ext. 25
C: 613-447-6334
E: belanger@universitysport.ca