Through two sets Saturday, the Marauders seemed beaten and resigned to suffering a second consecutive sweep on home court, a fate that has rarely befallen the program at Burridge Gym.

But as they slowly battled back to even the third, belief crept into McMaster's game, and ultimately saw the hosts spring a dramatic comeback at the expense of the Guelph Gryphons.

The Marauders overhauled their two-set deficit and edged the fifth and deciding frame in bonus points to claim victory over the Gryphons 22-25, 15-25, 25-21, 25-22, 19-17.

With the result, McMaster concluded their home schedule for the 2018 calendar year and moved to 4-3 in OUA play.

Right side Jessie Nairn was the most prolific attacker on the night, with 20 kills from a whopping total of 51 attempts, adding an ace and a solo block for a match high of 22 points.

The Marauders star, however, was setter Rebecca Maxwell, who turned the match on its head with her re-entry in the third set. Maxwell ended the night with 21 assists in split duty alongside veteran Katie Zutautas, and had 11 points to her name including seven kills, one ace, two solo blocks and two block assists.

Two massive service runs had the opening set on a see-saw, as McMaster answered a 7-1 start for Guelph with an 11-1 run buoyed by the rotation of Zutautas back to the service line.

That development helped McMaster carry a 16-12 lead into the technical timeout, before middle Cassidy Collins fashioned a run of her own to help the visitors claw back to level pegging, killing to head to the line, where she won three more points for 18-all.

With the teams again deadlocked at 21, it was the Gryphons who fashioned a breakaway, winning four of the next five points to bring up set points, and taking the second opportunity to win it when Sophia Herrara killed for 25-22.

Disheartened by the drop in form late in the first, the Marauders fell off the pace early in the second set, losing six of the first eight points to dig an early hole for themselves.

They would never fully recover in the set, as the visitors built on the advantage instead, holding a 16-8 lead at the technical timeout and ultimately seeing out the second with a string of four consecutive points capped by a kill from Hazel Atkins for 25-15.

That marked Mac's fifth consecutive set lost, and the psychological effect on the group was noticeable, as the Marauders lost five of the first six points of the third set to find themselves facing another early deficit.

But, slowly and surely, the Marauders pieced together a comeback, with a pair of Nairn service rotations crucially providing a steadying force at the line. The second of those saw Mac level at 13, and a four-point run after the technical timeout pushed the hosts ahead 19-16 after a Nairn kill.

Guelph roared back to level the set at 19 after a team timeout, but McMaster was undeterred, and won five of the next six points to bring up set points at 24-20.

The second of those was the charm, with Hailey Kranics killing to force a fourth set.

Momentum stayed firmly in the corner of the Marauders to open the fourth, as the hosts won six of the first seven points of the set, and forced Paul Funk to burn one of the Gryphons team timeouts early.

But another wild swing saw Guelph win six of the next seven points, and carry a four-point lead into the technical timeout after Atkins serve proved too hot for libero Zoe Mackintosh to handle.

Staying within striking distance after the break, McMaster found a run of form at a vital time trailing 22-20, ripping off five straight points as Kailan Robinson shifted to the service line and winning the set on a combo stuff from Kamila Haase and Maddie Lethbridge.

Early signs were worrying for the Marauders in set five, as troubles in reception saw them drop the first three points of the abbreviated decider and hurry into a timeout.

But a battle was in the cards, and the reintroduction of Maxwell from the bench at 6-4 proved to be important. Stuck three points at 8-11, McMaster ripped off four straight as the setter moved to serve, cueing virtual sudden death.

A three-point swing for Guelph brought up a pair of match points, but they both went begging after blocks from Nairn and Kranics. Two more opportunities came and went for the visitors, before McMaster was able to clinch its second match point when Lethbridge's final cut shot went unreturned.

NEXT UP: McMaster concludes the first term with a trip to London to battle the Western Mustangs on Friday, November 30. That match will get underway at 6:00 p.m.