Marauders victorious in 5-set thriller against the Warriors

HAMILTON, Ont. – In what was an incredibly exciting and dramatic game, the women’s volleyball team won against the Waterloo Warriors 3-2 today. The team pushed through offensive setbacks, tiring rallies, and frustrating deadlocks to take the victory. 

SENIOR’S NIGHT

Today was the last home game of the regular season, which the team commemorated by holding their traditional Senior’s Night. The senior players on the team, middle Jenna Woock, setter Lauryn Colpitts, libero Christina Stratford, middle Ellie Hatashita, and outside hitter Paige Entwistle, were celebrated at centre-court before the game. Fittingly, they were all on the starting lineup, as well. 

SET RECAP

It was a close battle from the very start. A big block by Paige Entwistle helped raise the energy in the gym, which stayed high throughout the night. Outside hitter Sullie Sundara hit a jump serve ace just as McMaster was starting to pull away with a lead, which caused Waterloo to call a timeout. However, a series of attacking errors and serving errors by McMaster allowed Waterloo to catch up and establish a lead late in the set. The Warriors also had a massive presence at the net. When they weren’t blocking McMaster’s hits, they forced the Marauders to swing the ball out of bounds on their attacks. Waterloo ended up winning the set 25-22. Outside hitter Maddy Lutes led McMaster in points, picking up 4 kills and 1 ace. Christina Stratford also played great defence with her 6 digs and impressive block coverage. 

Ellie Hatashita opened the second set with a bang, hitting a well-placed ace that soared right into the corner of the court. The scoreline stayed tight for the first half of the set until an emphatic block by Ellie Hatashita spurred the Marauders into a scoring run. After hitting a few errors in the first set, Sullie Sundara began to play the ball cleverly off of the Waterloo blockers to gain the team some points. Maddy Lutes also continued her impressive play, catching the Waterloo defence off guard with her right side attacks. Jenna Woock did her job perfectly at the middle position, seeming to get a hand on anything that came close to the net. McMaster won the set by a landslide, 25-15. 

The Marauders appeared to be back to their usual, dominant form. Their ability to read plays and adjust their coverage on defence, combined with their fast reaction times, made it hard for the Warriors to snatch points. The team also connected much better on their hits, which was an especially welcome sight after their multiple offensive errors earlier in the game. Waterloo was completely overwhelmed. McMaster developed a significant lead halfway through the set, which they maintained until the end to win it 25-14. Sullie Sundara was unstoppable as she picked up an astonishing 8 kills in the third set. 

Waterloo put up a good fight to start the fourth, keeping the scoreline close even when McMaster was leading. Jenna Woock had back-to-back blocks early on which fired up the crowd. The Warriors, however, took a slim lead that they kept for the majority of the set. It wasn’t until the very end that McMaster was able to catch up, tying the game at 20-20. Both teams played intense defence as they tried to push ahead, leading to plenty of long, crowd-hyping rallies. McMaster was able to win the point on an especially long play, filled with crafty tips, pancake digs, and scrambles all over the court. The Warriors were leading 24-22, but two crucial kills by Sullie Sundara helped the Marauders tie it up at 24-24. From there, both teams struggled to take the lead. Eventually, though, Waterloo won the set after an impressive ace, taking it 28-26. Lauryn Colpitts played great defence in addition to her setter responsibilities, gaining her 9 assists and 6 digs in just the fourth set. 

All tied up at 2-2, the fifth and final set began. Outside hitters Sullie Sundara, Olivia Julien, and Maddy Lutes had multiple powerful swings from the left side that helped the Marauders establish a comfortable lead early on. Serving specialist, setter Chayse Victoria, was subbed in and did her job perfectly, delivering two aces in a row. The Marauders thwarted the Warriors 15-6 and the bench rushed the court as the team celebrated their victory. 

IMPRESSIVE PERFORMANCES

McMaster’s defence was impenetrable today. Christina Stratford held the team down with her steady, well-placed passes, while also setting the ball impressively when needed. She recorded an outstanding 21 digs and 4 assists, both of which were season highs for her. Though they had a rough start, the Marauders offence also dominated. They had 56 kills compared to Waterloo’s 33. Gaining a total of 83 points, this was also the second highest-scoring game they had all season. 

Sullie Sundara, who played just her second full game back from injury, was incredible. She recorded 22 kills, which is the highest in one game by any McMaster player this season. 

There were many more notable performances. Lauryn Colpitts achieved a season-high with her 42 assists, also picking up 12 digs and 3 blocks. With 12 kills, 16 digs, 3 aces, and 2 blocks, Maddy Lutes played an impressive all-rounded game. Jenna Woock had 6 kills and a whopping 5 blocks. 

Aside from being extremely exciting, today’s game also showed off the team’s ability to stay strong under pressure as well as highlighted both their defensive and offensive capabilities. 

LOOKING FORWARD

Having delivered such a strong, resilient performance, the women should feel confident as they head into the playoffs, which start in just two weeks. Only one game remains in the regular season. The team will play against York next Friday in Toronto, seeking to end the season on a high note.