ST. CATHARINES, Ont. – The McMaster Marauders are the 2024 OUA silver medalists after falling to the Brock Badgers 3-1 (25-22, 20-25, 21-25, 16-25) in the Quigley Cup Championship Friday night in Niagara.
Third-year left side Sullie Sundara had a strong match, leading all players with 18 kills and a service ace. Olivia Julien had eight kills of her own. Lauryn Colpitts recorded 35 assists and was key on defence with nine digs.
The host Badgers, the No. 2 ranked team in the country, recorded the first kill of the OUA finale and then held a one-point advantage for much of the opening set. The Marauders locked in and constantly responded, drawing the score even an impressive 12 times in Set 1. Down 17-16, the visitors scored three straight points to force a Brock timeout. The hosts scored back-to-back to draw within one but would never get closer. Ellie Hatashita recorded a kill on set point, leading to a 25-22 Set 1 victory for McMaster.
Set 2 opened with a kill by Maddy Lutes but Brock fed off the home crowd to score four unanswered points, before McMaster was able to respond and get within one. The two squads exchanged points for much of the second, resulting in a 17-17 scoreline. The Badgers scored eight of the final eleven points, closing out Set 2 with a huge block to win the set 25-20.
The Badgers went up 3-0 in the third set and extended that lead to nine before hitting the turn. Chayse Victoria, Angelika Vidmar and Abby Delamere entered the match and with Victoria and Delamere each recording a service ace, drew the Marauders within two. Brock made some substitutions of its own and prevailed, 25-21, sealing the set with a kill.
Much like the opening set, McMaster came out swinging in the fourth but that momentum didn’t last long as the hosts scored nine unanswered points to go up 10-3. From there, it was all Brock, with the Badges taking the fourth set 25-16.
The McMaster women’s volleyball season isn’t over. The Marauders will host the 2024 U SPORTS Women’s Volleyball Championship from March 15-17 in Burridge Gymnasium. Tickets for the championship are on sale at www.marauders.ca/tickets.
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