HAMILTON, Ont. - The McMaster Marauder women's volleyball season was cut short Saturday evening when they lost an extremely close 3-2 (15-25, 22-25, 25-18, 26-24, 10-15) match to the visiting Western Mustangs in an OUA quarter-final match.

The Western Mustangs took charge in the first set, dominating the home-side by ten points. The Marauders shortened the gap in the second set, but the Mustangs managed to pull out a 25-22 win.

The Marauders stormed back, winning the third set thanks in part to Big Mac Player of the Game Shannon McRobert's (Whitby, Ont.) impressive blocking. The Marauders continued to chip away at Western's firm lead, winning the fourth set 26-24, keeping themselves in the match and setting up for a thrilling fifth set. Unfortunately, the Marauders were unable to carry the momentum into the fifth set and despite a late run the Mustangs prevailed. The Mustangs will now move on to OUA Final Four to be played in Guelph next weekend.

Larissa Puhach (Burlington, Ont.) led the Marauders with 17 points, on 13 kills. McRobert also contributed 15 points, in addition to her eight blocks. Meagan Nederveen (Dundas, Ont.) had a strong defensive game, coming up with 24 digs.

Western's Elaine Screaton (Calgary, AB) had a game-high 22 points, followed by Sarah Johnston (Stratford, Ont.) who scored 15 points on 11 kills.

The Marauders finish the season with a 16-4 conference record.