Five months. From the time the first whistle of pre-season is blown to the final match of the Ontario University Association playoffs, the McMaster women will have been in season for over 20 weeks.
Already underway, McMaster has started strong posting a clean sweep of their opponents on route to a gold medal at the Thanksgiving classic and a big 3-1 win against Guelph to kick off their regular season at home. But with so many games still left on their docket, forecasting the rest of the season can be a daunting task.
One certainty lies in Mac’s depth as a squad, which will lend itself to the versatility of their team. With a strong contingent of fourth and fifth-year players, Mac has ability to change their look from week to week, keeping opponents on their toes with a tailor-fitted style of play.
“Our reliance will be kind of night to night,” said head coach Tim Louks. “So how can we [change] and what can we do given our opponent and what they are prepared for… We have some flexibility, maybe they aren’t expecting this lineup, or to block in this fashion or to play offensively fast or slow. Without trying to drive inconsistency in our team, we are trying to [think about] what we present to our opponent.”
An early 3-1 pre-season loss to Toronto predicts another year of dense competition within the OUA. The usual suspects,Western, Ryerson and Windsor, will all be looking to build on strong performances from last year. A slight shakeup in playing conferences on the woman’s side also saw a contender in the University of Ottawa depart the OUA to compete in Quebec, with Trent’s varsity program called up as a replacement.
“Where the competition may come from could be pretty close to home,” said Louks. “It could come from different sources, but Western will be, Ryerson will be [right there]. I could talk about most teams having improved, and having the ability to make an impact.”
To stay competitive, Mac will look to improve on recognizing the state of their opponents, and being more patient offensively when they fall out of system. Doing so will help to extend scramble plays into longer rallies, producing more efficient scoring chances for the Marauders.
“We don’t need to necessarily score immediately, we may not be able to do that readily if we are under pressure,” said Louks. “We can rely on our defensive side and keep more balls in play. That has been the theme through pre-season, and we are starting to trust that a little more.”
But in a game where trust and experience go hand in hand, fans have every reason to expect another high flying season for the McMaster women. Strap in folks, this team is here for the long haul.
Middle Ground
Mac had a strong off-season solidifying their lineup with three new recruits for the middle position. Hailey Kranics, Jessie Nairn and Kamila Haase will look to fill the spot left the departure of OUA second team all-star Taylor Brisebois, although fans may need to give them time to adjust to a U Sports level of play before they become regulars in the Marauder rotation. York transfer Aleks Arsovic will add a new look to the outside hitter position, while fifth-year veteran Alicia Jack is slated to return from a knee injury later this season.
“We have three good first year additions that can have an impact,” said Louks. “We are probably going to rely, at this stage in the game, as we have through exhibition pieces, on us being a year older for most of us and with some very good injections on the top end.”
Joanna Jedzejewska
The fourth-year outside hitter was a go-to for the Marauder’s offense last season, finishing fourth in the OUA in kills per set (3.16) and earning OUA first team honors. “Jo is a very good player and will lead in moments when she can sustain what she has to do athletically” said Louks. Look for her to be a reliable threat offensively in Mac’s lineup.
Maicee Sorensen
The fourth-year middle made a defensive stand last season, finishing sixth in the OUA for total blocks and earning second team all OUA honours. She also sat in the OUA top 10 for total service aces. With another 4 blocks to start the season against Guelph, expect Sorensen to be a strong presence at the net.
Rebecca Steckle
The fifth-year player had a breakout season last year, earning her place as a regular starter as she skyrocketed to third in hitting percentage (.253) and fourth in kills per set (1.82) on Mac’s roster. “Leaders have to lead, and at the end of the day… Rebecca has arrived there,” said Louks. “She is constructive, she is positive… she is playing the game at a high level of confidence, and it’s fun to watch that.” Expect Steckle to translate her experience into leadership on the court.
The women’s volleyball team sadly returned home from the CIS Championships empty handed, after consecutive losses against the Regina Cougars on Mar. 1.
The Cougars took over the Championships from the start to easily brush off the Marauders, securing themselves a spot in the final and deeming the Marauders to a fifth place consolation game which took place on March 2.
Rookie Sophie Bukovec led the Marauders in the match, but was held to a negative hitting percentage with five kills. Maicee Sorenson also put forth a commending effort in the loss with seven points with four kills, an ace and two blocks.
Things seemed to be looking good for the Maroon and Grey early on in the match on Saturday, as the Marauders took five of the first six points giving them an early and encouraging lead in the first set. The Cougars would gradually start gaining on the Marauders lead and would soon tie the set at 11-11 with a quick play through the middle. Momentum would stay in Regina’s favor as the hosting squad shot ahead of the Marauders 16-12 at the technical timeout. That lead would only continue to grow for the Cougars as the Marauders would fall behind in the dying minutes of the set. A Marauder service error brought up set point and the Cougars would dominate on the last play of the game taking the first set 25-18.
Regina would only continue their dominance into the second set, with McMaster fighting hard to try and keep the score close throughout. A combo block on the right side would put the Marauders within to within two-points of the Cougars as the set would sit at 8-6. The Cougars would not take long before they struck back, winning the next eight of 12 points giving them a comfortable 16-10 lead over the visiting Marauder squad. Following the technical timeout, a late surge would bring the Marauders within four points, but the Cougars were not giving up without a fight as they would continue to push back, taking the second set 25-20.
Facing a large uphill battle against a dominating home force, the Marauders would quietly enter an important third set. Regina would find a way to yet again race ahead of McMaster and claim the first 12 of 16 points in the set. A dominating Regina setter would put the finishing touches on the Marauder squad, taking the third and final set 25-15 and giving the home team a 3-0 sweep over the McMaster contingent.
McMaster can only take this past weekend’s loss as an example of the kind of talent that exists outside of the OUA. With their unparalleled success this season, the women’s volleyball squad have a lot to be proud of, and a lot to take away for their future seasons.
As a young team whose starting line-up consists of four first year players, the Marauders had a lot to prove this season and were arguably the underdogs of the final four.
“We had a plan all season and that plan was to be the best in the province,” said Head Coach Tim Louks.
“From a probability point of view do I think we had all the right pieces? I think that’s what the season flushed out. In our ranks, we could floor a team that could compete with anyone. You can’t guarantee the outcome in wins and losses but you can certainly continue to evolve as a team playing the game,” he added.
Despite an impressive pre-season, a rocky start to the season landed the Marauders in the bottom half of the OUA West conference and they had a long way to climb to finish in the top spots, let alone get to the OUA finals.
“I always knew that our team had the potential to make it to the OUA finals,” said first year Joanna Jedrzejewska who put up an impressive 16 points in Saturday’s semi-final against the Blues.
“Individually we have lots of talent but in order to make it far as a team we would need to work fluidly as a system,” she added.
After a battle for the leg up, the Marauders eventually took the lead of 1-0 after a gruelling set ending in 35-33. The battle continued into the second set, where the Marauders had an early lead of 11-8 and seemed to be keeping up with the momentum. McMaster’s momentum started to dwindle, giving the Blues the opportunity to fight back and take a 20-19 lead, which they kept up, eventually taking the set 25-23 to tie the match 1-1.
McMaster took a 10-point streak in the second set, leading16-10 at the technical timeout. McMaster continued to outplay Toronto and eventually took a lead of 2-1 after winning the set 25-15.
The momentum of the third set continued into the fourth as McMaster played sharply and accurately, forcing two timeouts from the Blues.
Sharp serving and kills from the Marauders allowed them to maintain their lead, winning the set 25-18 and taking the match 3-1, securing their spot in the OUA finals and the CIS championships. First year rookie Sophie Bukovec who led the team with 32 points.
The Marauders had secured their spot, but wanted to win OUA gold against the Ottawa Gee-Gees to secure a good seeding in the championships.
“We knew the final was going to be a great match. We had played Ottawa twice and won and lost,” said rookie Carly Heath.
Both Ottawa and McMaster had secured a spot in the CIS national championships but the Marauders didn’t slow down.
The Marauders were confident after their win against Toronto and took an early lead of 16-9 at the technical timeout. Ottawa’s attempt to close the gap fell short and McMaster took the first set 25-20.
Ottawa then took an early lead in the second set, but a substitution changed the momentum of the Marauder’s game and allowed them to jump ahead to a 9-8 lead.
“We require different people at different times to step into the mix and do something,” said Coach Louks.
The match then showed a lot of back and forth before the Marauders had a few point breaks, leading 16-13 at the technical timeout. The Marauders took the lead after the timeout, but Ottawa fought back to tie the set at 22-22 before the Marauders pushed ahead, making a strategic kill and eventually taking the set 25-22 and the match 2-0.
A stretch of bad passing by the Marauders allowed Ottawa to jump to a big lead of 18-22 before the Marauders hit their stride and Ottawa made many passing mistakes. The Marauders played solid defense and strategic offense and claimed the OUA title for the second time in Marauder history by winning the third set 25-22 and the match 3-0.
“Our men’s team came out and supported us and we took control right from the start and that didn’t change throughout the match. I knew from the first set that we were going to win the game because we came out hard right away. Those first few points were crucial and once we got on a run we took control and our confidence just kept improving,” said Heath.
The Marauders are preparing to travel to Regina for the CIS national championships Feb. 28 to March 2.
“We were steady and we fought but precision wise, there’s a lot more there. We’re getting a chance to test that with no expectation on us in the national volleyball level,” said Louks.
This OUA championship was Louks’ second provincial win as a coach.
“It’s nice when a plan comes together. I don’t know that I would say it was expected in September. About half way through, in December, they started to believe a little more.
They continued to build those inter-player and interpersonal pieces. It’s not coaches, it comes down to players,” said Louks.
The fifth seeded Marauders take on Laval , led by a new coach, in the first CIS round. McMaster has an opportunity to prove themselves without their opponents having an idea of the team’s abilities.
“We have to address some of the tactical stuff that Laval is going to through at us. Good or bad, there’s a lot left to be seen. It’s kind of exciting. Who knows what this weekend will bring,” said Louks.
The Marauders turned the season around and played with a cohesiveness that allowed them to be one collective unit both on and off the court.
“Knowing the people you play with impacts the outcome of a game a lot more than I thought it would. We really bonded after our trip to Florida and we only lost one game after that,” said middle Maicee Sorenson.
For Coach Louks, he has some very important things he hopes the team will take away from this season.
“I think it’s a humanistic thing. It’s tolerance, it’s diversity, it’s being unique, it’s collaboration. It’s everything that sport is supposed to do to be a microcosm of life. But that gets lost, it gets muddled all the time. People say ‘I want to play, it’s for me’, but this game sometimes is a little unforgiving. You’re in, you’re out.”
Louks added that, “I’ve got some inspirational women doing things on a team level that I’m awed by. You may not see the court the entire two hours but you’re an important part of the team. That’s a hard lesson to learn.”
The Marauder women will travel to the CIS championships hoping to put all they have learned this season into practice.
By: Alexandra Reilly
The McMaster women’s volleyball team had another busy weekend, playing a double-header on Nov. 16 and 17. Both games saw the Marauders take on the competition with home court advantage, which proved to make a difference for the women in both of their matches.
McMaster began with a battle against the visiting Guelph Gryphons. Right from the start, the women took control and it was evident they were not leaving any room for error.
The Marauders came out strong, combining many diverse angles of attack, which included kills from a variety of players along with strong defense at the net to help maintain the lead. McMaster gained a remarkable 16-4 lead over Guelph and continued to pummel the Gryphons, eventually winning the first set 25-11.
The second set was another easy battle for the Marauder squad as Guelph head coach called two time outs before the technical timeout. The Marauders jumped on Guelph once again, taking the second set with a wide margin of 25-9.
After two of their best sets this season behind them, it was important for the women to maintain their focus. Their momentum was slightly slowed in the third set as they allowed the Gryphons to take a 16-14 lead.
The Gryphons continued to gain a lead, moving the score up to 22-18. After some back and forth from both teams and a close score throughout, Guelph eventually propelled to take the third set 30-28 over the Marauders.
Moving into the fourth set it was important for the Marauders to not allow Guelph back into the game. They picked up their intensity once again and found their focus, jumping ahead 9-1. At the technical timeout, Mac found themselves dominating the match with a 16-6 lead. McMaster would continue to put pressure on the Gryphons and come out as the winners of the set, and the game, with a score of 25-16.
McMaster’s Kierstyn Bakker played her first game as a Marauder after transferring from the University of Manitoba, which is ranked third in the country for volleyball. She was also the McDonald’s Big Mac player of them game.
Despite McMaster’s full team effort to pull out the win seeing stand out plays from Taylor Brisebois and Amanda Weldon, Mac also lost Alicia Jack in the match to a broken thumb. Head Coach Tim Louks still is not sure of the details or extent of Jack’s injury, but described it as a “fluke.”
After a much-needed win at home against Guelph, the Marauders re-grouped for their Sunday match in Burridge Gym against the Waterloo Warriors.
McMaster got off to a much slower start than in their previous dominating efforts against Waterloo. The first set saw McMaster make a few errors early on, which allowed the Warriors to jump slightly ahead with a 13-10 lead. With an incredible effort from McMaster’s Shannon McRobert, the Marauders were able to pull ahead of the Warriors with a 19-13 lead.
Waterloo tried to recover, but with strong blocks and a good defensive effort the Marauders were able to take the first set 25-19.
The Marauders continued to struggle slightly in the second set as some small errors put Mac slightly behind right from the get go. Poor passing and good blocks from the Warriors proved to be the deciding factor for the second set. Waterloo was able to take advantage of the Marauders’ slow start and took the set 25-16.
The third set once again saw the Marauders fall behind early on, allowing the Warriors to take an early 13-8 lead. The Marauders soon picked up the pace, nailing all of their serves to come back and gain the lead 14-13. The Marauders soon gained a higher lead at 16-14 and continued to outscore the Warriors 9-1 to close out the final set 25-15 and bring themselves to a 2-1 lead in the game.
Waterloo was determined to extend the match and gain a win in the fourth set against the Marauders. The Warriors took another early lead as they quickly jumped to 7-2 over the Marauders. The service line proved to be a hot spot during this game for the Marauder squad as McMaster served to an 8-7 lead. McMaster maintained focus and raised the pace of the game by gaining a 16-13 lead going into the technical timeout. Shannon McRobert continued to be a difference maker in this match by extending the Marauders lead eventually helping Mac to pull out a win in the fourth set 25-20 to take the game three sets to one.
After the Marauders much-needed double-header win at home, Head Coach Tim Louks was satisfied with the weekend performance.
“The players are competing harder in practice and creating some more consistencies,” said Louks. “That coupled with reducing some of the unforced errors and taking care of the ball generally will start to shape things from a performance point of view.”
The women’s volleyball team is set to take on Brock this Saturday, and being that this is the only action the Marauders will see with the Badgers this season, it’s important that the Marauders dominate early on in order to get a much needed win. The game is set for 1 p.m. Saturday in Burridge Gym.
