KINGSTON, Ont. – Falling 3-1 in both tonight’s game and yesterday’s, the women’s volleyball team experienced their first double-header loss of the season against the Queen’s Gaels. Although the team struggled and showed many areas for improvement, having this opportunity to regroup after such a tough battle will hopefully serve them well as they draw closer to the playoffs and the national championships.
The Marauders came out strong to start the game tonight, playing with a determined energy and aggressiveness after yesterday’s loss. They kept a slim lead throughout the first set. Outside hitter Emma McKinnon, who has been playing amazingly lately, had an emphatic kill early on, showing off her impressive ability to find tough-to-cover angles and swing with power. Queen’s struggled due to their attacking errors. The ball sailed out on many of their serves and spikes, which helped McMaster gain some easy points. McMaster ended on top 25-17. Young star, outside hitter Olivia Julien, also picked up 5 kills and 1 ace.
The tide completely turned from the second set onwards. The Gaels began to connect better on their attacks and put up a strong presence at the net, helping them take an early lead which they maintained throughout the set. There were many scrappy plays from both sides. The Marauders were able to get a touch on many of Queen’s hits but ultimately struggled to keep the ball up. Queen’s won the second set 25-20.
The third set was extremely close as both teams tried to break the tie. Plenty of long rallies, along with diverse types of attacks from McMaster, made for a very captivating set. The Marauders played pipe and c balls, especially targeting Olivia Julien, in an attempt to catch the Gaels off-guard. However, Queen’s had great placement on their hits and this, combined with their 2 attacking errors compared to McMaster’s 6, allowed them to break through. They won the set 25-20.
The fourth set was a disaster for the Marauders. They gave up the first 5 points and failed to catch up, which led to coach Nathan Janzen using both of the team’s timeouts early on. The Gaels served strongly and built up a 9-1 lead. Outside hitter Sullie Sundara, who was out due to injury for the past few weeks, was subbed in to serve and pass, helping McMaster gain a few points. The Marauders were chipping away at the lead midway through the set but a series of big blocks from Queen’s helped them take back control. It appeared that the Marauders were falling apart towards the end of the set, perhaps overwhelmed by the big lead. It ended in a disappointing 25-12 loss.
McMaster’s 3 aces and 3 blocks, compared to Queen’s 10 and 6, appeared to be the difference makers tonight, as well as the overpowering performances from Queen’s players Hannah Duscheneau and Amanda Siksna. Olivia Julien, who tried diligently to break through the Gaels defense, still recorded an impressive 13 kills, 6 digs, and 1 ace. Middle Jenna Woock also played well, putting up 7 kills and 1 block.
LOOKING FORWARD
Despite the back-to-back losses, staggering for a team who has played so well this season, the results from this weekend may prove to be very valuable for the Marauders. This was the first time the women have been tested to this level. As the playoffs are approaching, as well as the national championships being hosted at McMaster in March, this sort of pressure and hardship is expected to arise soon. The team’s response to this weekend is important to watch and hopefully, it will strengthen their resilience going forward. They will surely need to be in a great mentality for next week’s games. They face the Brock Badgers, the top team in the OUA, at home on February 2nd and 3rd, which should make for an exciting weekend.