After suffering their first loss in Clearwater on New Year's Eve, the Marauders rebounded with a straight-set win over the Brandon Bobcats on Saturday to enter the final day on a high note.
The Sherbrooke Vert et Or took their turn with a doubleheader on Day 3, losing the afternoon's first match to the McGill Martlets (25-20, 25-19, 25-18) before dealing a sweep to the Brock Badgers (25-12, 25-16, 25-11).
Facing a Brandon team reeling from injury, the Marauders jumped out to a dominant 9-3 lead early in the first set, before seeing their advantage evaporate with Bobcat Donata Huebert toeing the service line. There was nothing to choose between the teams at the technical timeout, but Mac found an opening late to snatch a 22-19 lead and force Brandon to burn their second team timeout. Momentum stayed in their corner, and four points later, the Marauders clinched the set 25-20.
Strong offensive work from rookie outside Rachel Woock helped stake Mac to a 16-11 lead at the second set technical, and that lead continued to swell as the set moved toward its conclusion. Tough serving has become a trademark of Marauder outside Lauren Mastroluisi, and a solid turn at the service line did its part as Mac took the set 25-18.
Mistakes cost the Bobcats early in the third, as Mac jumped ahead 6-3 and held that advantage into the technical timeout. The Bobcats capitalized on some errors from the Marauders to claw back within three points late, but that was as close as they would get, as Mac closed out the set 25-19.
The unbeaten Vert et Or faced a stiff test against McGill to open the day, and the Martlets began well to take an 8-4 lead in the first set. That advantage grew as the teams approached the technical timeout, but Sherbrooke found their form after the break, and led 21-19 with a block that forced McGill into a break. The chat proved fruitful, as the Martlets scored the next four points to retake the lead, and sealed it three points later.
Another closely-fought set ensued in the second, where the teams traded points into the technical timeout, with Sherbrooke leading by just a single point at the break. The Martlets moved ahead 18-17 to force a stoppage from their opponents, and embarked on a 7-3 run to close out the set.
The quality of play picked up in the third, with Sherbrooke desperate to avoid the sweep. After tying the set at 13-all, the Vert et Or conceded the next three points to send the teams into the technical timeout with the Martlets enjoying a slim lead. Momentum swung time and time again as the teams moved toward the finish line, with Sherbrooke taking a 22-21 lead through a McGill setting error.
Two errors from the Vert et Or prompted their coach to call time trailing 23-22, and the Martlets would not trail again, winning the set and the match 26-24.
Fortunes improved for Sherbrooke in their second match of the day, as they led early and often against the Brock Badgers. A dominant, 10-point lead at the technical timeout put the Vert et Or out of reach in the first set, and they would seal with by a 13-point margin.
A better start to the second saw the Badgers level with their opponents through the first 10 points, but the Vert et Or carved out a lead midway through the set. Acing Brock with the help of the net, Sherbrooke took a 20-14 lead, and remained steady to seal the second set and the 2-0 overall lead.
The fight went out of Brock in the third set, where Sherbrooke had a 10-point lead at the technical timeout. Purely academic from there, the set was tied up neatly at 25-11.
