HAMILTON, Ont. – There’s no better way to start the playoffs than with a 3-0 sweep, which is just what the women’s volleyball team accomplished tonight. They played with confidence to completely overwhelm the Guelph Gryphons and advance to the OUA semi-finals. Having swept the Gryphons 3-0 in both their regular season matchups, today’s result was no surprise.
SET RECAP
The first set was as one-sided as it gets. Middle Ellie Hatashita kicked things off with two aces, intimidating the Guelph defense and setting the tone for the rest of the game. Guelph called a timeout to recover from their 6-0 deficit but it was ineffective. The Marauders kept bulldozing through. Even on messy plays, everything was clicking for them. Outside hitter Maddy Lutes picked up two aces in a row, followed by outside hitter Sullie Sundara who bagged three aces of her own. Outside hitter Olivia Julien also picked up 5 kills and 1 block. The set ended 25-6.
After that utterly demoralizing set for the Gryphons, they picked themselves up by the bootstraps to start the second set strong. The scoreline was very close as Guelph’s impressive blocking and hustle helped them to hang on. Eventually, however, McMaster pulled ahead once again. Sullie Sundara showed off more of her overpowering topspin serves to gain herself two more aces. Maddy Lutes continued her crafty float serves to pick up two aces, as well. Olivia Julien held things down on offense, recording 5 more kills. The Marauders closed it out 25-13.
Against all odds, Guelph managed to find the motivation to force a close contest in the third set. They started with a big kill from the right side and played with grit to give the Marauders a run for their money. Hard swings from both sides coupled with resilient defending made for many long, dramatic rallies that had the crowd hyped. McMaster pulled away near the end of the set, led by the consistent serving and hitting of middles Ellie Hatashita and Jenna Woock. The final whistle blew as the Marauders won the third set 25-17.
IMPRESSIVE PERFORMANCES
Everyone who played tonight on the Marauders put up a great performance, but there were a few that were especially notable. Olivia Julien took charge on offense, recording an astounding 12 kills and 1 block in her first playoff game of her career. With 6 kills, 5 aces, and 8 digs, Sullie Sundara was dominant on all sides of the court. Ellie Hatashita had a similarly well-rounded game as she picked up 7 kills, 3 aces, and 8 digs. Libero Hayley Brookes showed incredible leadership on defense as she called plays to her teammates and bagged 8 digs. Setter Lauryn Colpitts delivered 26 assists, which was more than twice the amount of the entire Guelph team.
LOOKING FORWARD
Up next, the women will take on the Queen Gaels in their semifinal game. The gametime is yet to be confirmed, but rest assured it will be an incredibly exciting matchup. Last time they met up, for a double-header back in January, the teams took one game each. The Marauders will look to edge the Gaels out this time to bring them one step closer to that OUA Championship title.
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