Women's volleyball defeated at CIS Championships
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.
