McMaster opened its annual holiday tournament in Clearwater, Florida with a pair of wins on Wednesday, including a five-set takedown of the CIS no. 9-ranked McGill Martlets.
Day one of the four-day, five-team event began with a rematch of OUA West rivals, with McMaster besting an exhausted Brock Badgers team 3-0 (25-13, 25-18, 25-12). The CIS no. 10-ranked Sherbrooke Vert et Or followed with a sweep of the Brandon Bobcats (25-21, 25-18, 25-20), before the Marauders outlasted the Marlets in five (10-25, 25-18, 20-25, 25-21, 15-11).
After arriving in Clearwater at 4:30 a.m. due to travel delays, the Badgers faced the daunting task of playing a match on just three hours of rest. Mac took full advantage of their opponents early on Wednesday, taking a 5-0 lead in the opening set and never looking back. The Marauders held a commanding 16-6 lead at the technical timeout and wrapped up the opening set by a 12-point margin.
The Badgers improved dramatically in the second set, remaining within four points of the Marauders until the late stages, when Mac went on a 5-2 run to conclude the set at 25-18. Regular service resumed in the third, where the Marauders rode a clean game to their most lopsided set score of the day, 25-12.
Their second contest proved to be much tougher, with a fellow top-ten team standing across the net just hours after Mac had opened the tournament. Early signs were worrying for the hosts, who fell behind 7-2 and watched McGill succeed offensively through the middle. Doubling up their opponents at the technical timeout, the Martlets embarked on a 9-2 run to complete the dominant, 25-10 set win.
Momentum shifted immediately to begin the second, as McMaster jumped out to an 11-3 lead and forced McGill into their first timeout of the night. Fighting back to within a point, the Martlets coaxed a timeout from Tim Louks, before the Marauders put together another 7-1 run to even the match at a set apiece.
Another closely-fought set saw the Martlets grab a mid-set lead in the third before Rachel Woock's steady work from the service line helped McMaster climb within two points at 16-14. That was as close as the Marauders would come, however, as the Martlets reestablished their overall lead with a 25-20 set win.
Perhaps the moment of the match saw the two teams level at 18-all in the fourth, when McMaster found the means for another late-set run, this time reeling off seven points in ten to force a fifth and deciding set.
There, McGill worked back from an early deficit and forced a timeout from the Marauders with their lead down to just a single point at 12-11, before Mac won the next four points to clinch their second win of the day.
In the second match of the afternoon, the CIS no. 10-ranked Sherbrooke Vert et Or saw off the challenge of the Brandon Bobcats in straight sets.
Strong defence underpinned a 16-11 Vert et Or lead at the first set technical, with Joannie Witthom leading the way. A four-point run from Brandon forced the RSEQ side into a timeout, but they responded strongly to see out a 25-20 set win.
Sherbrooke established a lead at the midpoint yet again in set two, and weathered a late surge from Brandon that forced a Vert et Or timeout with their lead down to three points at 20-17. Coming out of the timeout well, the Vert et Or scored five of the next six points to take a commanding two-set lead.
Desperate to remain in the match, the Bobcats fought well in the third set, staying within two points of the Vert et Or at the technical timeout. That trend continued until the final stage, as Sherbrooke played clean volleyball down the stretch to win 25-20 and 3-0.
Play resumes on New Year's Eve, with the Martlets and Bobcats opening the day at noon, before the Vert et Or and Marauders follow at 2 p.m. and the Badgers and Martlets conclude the day at 4 p.m.
Day 1 Results2pm    McMaster  defeated  Brock          3-0         25-13, 25-18, 25-12      Â
4pm    Sherbrooke defeated Brandon      3-0         25-21, 25-18, 25-20
6pm    McMaster defeated McGill          3-2    10-25, 25-18, 20-25, 25-21, 15-11
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