McMaster held late leads in both the second and third sets, but suffered their second loss of the season on Wednesday, falling in straight sets to the Ryerson Rams in Toronto.
Set scores were 25-19, 27-25 and 25-23 for the Rams, who improved to 7-1 with the victory and moved into a tie for top spot in the OUA East standings with the Toronto Varsity Blues with 14 points.
The Marauders, meanwhile, fell to 5-2 on the season, and sit second in the OUA West behind the Guelph Gryphons with a game in hand.
Veronica Livingstone was the match's leading scorer for the Rams, tallying 16 points including 13 kills, an ace and two blocks.
Second-year middle Maicee Sorensen led McMaster with 13.5 points on Wednesday and was the team's most efficient hitter, making good on 12 of 22 attempts versus three errors (.409). Joanna Jedrzejewska also hit double digits for the Marauders, with 10 kills, an ace and a block assist for 11.5 points.
Ryerson hit cleanly in the first set, and it showed on the scoreboard, where the hosts led throughout the opening frame. The Rams converted 13 of 32 attempts in the set, committing just three errors, and came away with a comfortable six-point victory.
The Marauders improved defensively in the second set, and after Sorensen won three consecutive points to take the teams into the technical timeout, McMaster led 16-12. The two teams traded late runs, and the Marauders led 22-20 before Ryerson ultimately came away with the set and the 2-0 lead in extra points.
With their backs against the wall, the Marauders opened the third set strongly, winning the first five points to force a timeout from the Rams. While Ryerson answered with a run of their own, McMaster continued to lead by three points at the technical timeout. A few badly-timed service errors from the hosts gave McMaster a 22-21 lead, but Ryerson powered back into the lead and sealed the victory by the minimum two points.
The Marauders will look to bounce back as they continue their visit to Toronto on Saturday, where they take on the OUA East-leading Varsity Blues.
