Stratford earns OUA Award of Merit; Sundara, Brookes, Hatashita and Lutes named All-Stars

BURLINGTON, Ont. – Senior setter, Christina Stratford, is the winner of the 2022-23 OUA Women’s Volleyball Award of Merit as announced on Tuesday morning. Sullie Sundara, an outside hitter, and libero Hayley Brookes, were named First Team All-Stars while middle Ellie Hatashita and outside hitter Maddy Lutes earned spots as OUA Second Team All-Stars.

Christina Stratford – OUA Women’s Volleyball – Award of Merit
Kinesiology
Burlington, Ont.
 

A third-year setter, Christina Stratford found her stride over the 2022-23 season. The Burlington local ranks in the Top 10 in both setter statistical categories. Stratford averages 6.62 assists per set (#8 in the OUA) and has recorded a total of 417 assists  (#10 in the OUA). She also added nine kills, six service aces and 107 digs throughout the regular season.

In the classroom, Stratford is a standout and has been recognized as a 3x Academic All-Canadian, 3x Marauder Scholar and a 3x member of the Dean’s List.

When she is not on the court or studying, the fourth-year kinesiology student stays active in her McMaster and Hamilton communities. Stratford is the Co-President of the Varsity Leadership Committee where she implements educational workshops for teams, improves engagement across teams at events (e.g. Paint Night) and promotes mental health initiatives. The Burlington local is also an executive member of both Mac Athletes Care and the Women’s Athletic Leadership Council. In these roles, she coordinates the Raise the Grade Program for the Boys and Girls Club of Hamilton and is involved in the creation of workshops and seminars for female athletes at McMaster. Across campus, Stratford is a Science Society/Kinesiology Mentor and also a tutor.

In the Hamilton community, the veteran setter is the Head Coach of the 17U Kilimanjaro MVC team and, before that, was an Assistant Coach with the same club. Academically, Stratford is a student mentor for grade 7 and 8 students where she holds interactive workshops and build students’ skills on the path to post-secondary education.

Stratford will move on to be the OUA nomination for the U SPORTS Thérèse Quigley Award, given to the student-athlete who best exhibits outstanding achievement in three areas: volleyball, academics and community involvement. The winner will be announced at the U SPORTS All-Canadian Awards Reception in Vancouver, B.C. on Mar. 16.

Sullie Sundara – OUA Women’s Volleyball – OUA First Team All-Star
Social Sciences
Kanata, Ont.
 

The 2021-22 OUA West Rookie of the Year and member of the U SPORTS All Rookie Team, Sullie Sundara has continued her dominance in her second varsity season. The Kanata local ranked first in total kills in the OUA (295) and second in kills per set (3.99) throughout the regular season. With 347 total points, the second-year outside hitter is the conference leader in points, averaging 4.7 points per set. Sundara also ranks in the Top 5 in total attacks (751) and service aces (27).
 
A statistical leader in almost every offensive category, Sundara also contributed to the Marauders’ success in other ways, recording 16 assists, 34 blocks and 186 digs.

Sundara had a season high 23 kills on the road on February 11th against the Waterloo Warriors. She also hit season highs in both points (26.5) and total blocks (3) that same night.

Hayley Brookes – OUA Women’s Volleyball – OUA First Team All-Star
Communication Studies
Burlington, Ont.
 

The defensive backbone of the Marauders’ roster, Hayley Brookes has been nearly unstoppable this season. The second-year libero recorded more receptions than any other player in the conference with a total of 482 receptions though 20 regular season matches.The Burlington local has totaled 289 digs, ranking her third in the OUA, for an average of 3.66 digs per set.
 
A specialist on the defense, Brookes has contributed to the maroon and grey’s offense with 56 assists and one kill.

Ellie Hatashita – OUA Women’s Volleyball – OUA Second Team All-Star
Commerce
Kanata, Ont.
 

Ellie Hatashita was a strong presence at the net for the Marauders this season. The Kanata, Ont. local recorded 39 total blocks through 18 regular season matches, including 15 solo blocks, for an average of 0.60 blocks per set. The third-year middle had 91 kills for the maroon and grey, thanks to a .324 hitting percentage.

The commerce student also contributed 16 assists, 12 service aces and 73 digs throughout the 2022-23 OUA campaign.

Maddy Lutes – OUA Women’s Volleyball – OUA Second Team All-Star
Kinesiology
Barrie, Ont.
 

Maddy Lutes, a second-year outside hitter for McMaster, had 126 kills through 16 matches this season. The Barrie local averaged 2.21 kills per set and recorded 11 service aces. A kinesiology student, Lutes averaged 1.91 digs per set with a total of 109 total digs.
 
She also recorded 10 solo blocks and 16 block assists while also recording 155 total points during the 2022-23 regular season.
 

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