Women's volleyball clinches first season win

It was a nail biter for the women’s volleyball team on Oct. 26 as their match against the Western Mustangs proved to be a back-and-forth battle.

McMaster would fight to the finish and come out with a narrow 16-14 win in a nerve-wracking fifth set giving them their first win of the season on the road.

Melanie Walsh says a steady energy level is what played a large factor in the team’s win over the Mustangs on Saturday night.

“We kept a very steady energy level throughout the whole Western game and that was a large part of our win,” said first year Walsh.

The Marauders came out in full force to start the match winning seven of their first eight points in the opening set which would establish them as the leaders early on in the game. The Mustangs would fail to answer to the Marauders efforts and continued to make mistakes, which the confident Mac squad was able to dominate on. McMaster notched a commanding 16-10 lead after consecutive combo blocks from Maicee Sorenson.

The Marauders continued to triumph and would increase their lead to 23-10 over the Western Mustangs. Western would gain some life and reel off a six-point run to bring them within four points of the Marauder squad. McMaster would re-organize my canadian pharmacy online and come out on top taking the first set of the game, leading the Stangs 1-0.

Western would strike back against McMaster and continue on a run to kick off the second set. Western would notch three aces over the course of a six-point streak against Mac to give them an 11-3 lead. The good fortune would continue for the Mustangs and their lead would increase by another nine points. Despite a comeback effort from the Maroon and Grey contingent, Western’s lead would only grow and they would eventually win the set 25-12 tying the game at 1-1.

The hosting Western Mustangs would then win four out of the first five points at the start of the third set and would hold an early lead. McMaster would soon switch gears and begin to claw their way back into the top spot. The lead was cut to just two points with Western clinging to a 16-14 lead over the Marauders.

McMaster’s momentum would pay off with two kills from Mastroluisi and Bukovec to bring the Marauders to a 20-18 lead. The gears would switch once again and Western would find their second wind to win the third set 25-22. Western now led the game 2-1.

The visiting Marauders did not start the fourth set well, and it appeared as if the Mustangs had finally gotten under their skin. Bukovec would soon revive the tired Marauders with two straight aces to help McMaster creep up on the scoreboard. The teams went back and forth until Bukovec once again hit some rockets towards the Mustangs to help the Marauders to win four straight points to bring them to a 17-15 advantage. McMaster would continue to soar, not falling behind at any point in the fourth set. They would go on to win their next eight points, building a large advantage for themselves. Mac would eventually lock down the win tying the game at 2-2.

Both teams had steady runs all attempting to stay within reach of one another and would eventually show both team’s tied at 14 a piece. Caitlin Genovey’s serve would find the floor and would be the game-winning point for the Maroon and Grey, as they would take the fifth and final set at a close 16-14.

With some newfound confidence and a better understanding of what lies ahead, the Marauders can now come away with a focus and a new outlook for their season. The team will now prepare to face the Toronto Varsity Blues on Nov. 2 on their home court in Burridge Gym.