Box Score Pulling themselves back into the win column emphatically on Friday, the Marauders swept the Lakehead Thunderwolves at the Burridge Gym to retain their hold on the OUA West division.

Set scores were 25-21, 25-19 and 25-9 for Mac (13-2), who clinched the season series against their divisional opponent with the win.

Leading the way for McMaster was the tandem of right side Rebecca Steckle, who had perhaps the cleanest and most efficient offensive performance of her career, and rookie setter Michelle Chelladurai. The power hitter Steckle put away 15 of her 28 hitting attempts on the night versus just four errors (.393), while adding a block assist for a game high of 15.5 points. Meanwhile, Chelladurai averaged over 12 assists per set in the win, racking up a total of 38.

Lakehead signalled their intent to battle from the opening serve, and held an 8-5 lead in the first set before McMaster retook the driver's seat with a six-point run headed by Chelladurai at the service line. That lead proved stable, and a Maicee Sorensen kill brought the teams into the technical timeout with Mac leading 16-11. A pair of aces from outside Joanna Jedrzejewska helped Mac extend their lead, before a late surge from the visitors made things respectable. It proved to be too little, too late to save the set, however, as Sorensen notched a solo stuff for 25-20.

Hanging around yet again early in the second set, Lakehead led 9-8 after an error from Lauren Mastroluisi. But another clutch service run from the setter Chelladurai keyed Mac to a 7-0 run that vaulted the hosts ahead 15-9. Lakehead would pull to within four points at 19-15 after a Leah Mousseau kill, but that was as close as the Thunderwolves would get. A 4-0 run reestablished Mac's hold on the set, and it ended when Lakehead's Olivia Bowman committed a service error for 25-20.

Having battled to the best of their ability for two sets, the air appeared to go out of the sails of the Thunderwolves in the third, as Steckle finished a 5-1 Marauder run to begin the set with a kill. The death blow came at 7-5, when Mac embarked on a massive, 13-0 run with Sorensen toeing the service line, ultimately rushing out to a dominant 20-5 lead. Nine points later, it was mercifully all over, as young middle Jill Eisenhauer completed an encouraging showing at the line with an ace.