With the opportunity to extend their winning streak and seal top spot in the OUA West in the process, the Marauders stumbled Saturday.

McMaster saw a 14-match unbeaten streak in OUA play snapped, as the Western Mustangs defeated the Marauders in four sets (25-23, 25-17, 20-25, 25-23) to keep their hopes of an OUA West division title alive.

With the loss, the Marauders fell to 14-2 on the season, with one match left to be played, while the Mustangs improved to 12-3 with two matches to play.

McMaster will need to win their final contest of the regular season, which they play at home Friday, February 23 against the Trent Excalibur, to secure hosting rights through the OUA playoffs.

Despite earning more points than their opponents (61-53) over the course of the four sets, the Marauders were undone by their ability to find consistent secondary scoring behind left side Brandon Koppers (Georgetown, ON), and the Mustangs complete domination of the middle of court.

The Western middle duo of Chris Newcombe and Evan Hammond combined for 21 kills and a hitting average of .405, routinely able to convert when found by setter Matt Hooker.

Koppers was the leading scorer on either side Saturday, with a total of 21 points including 18 kills, an ace and two solo blocks. But his .200 hitting average was also the highest of McMaster's usual attacking trio, as Andrew Richards (London, ON) and Matt Passalent (Hamilton, ON) were both held to quiet afternoons, hitting .121 and .120 respectively.

Struggling to find their rhythm throughout the contest, McMaster's typical aggression from the service line skewed negatively Saturday, as the team posted a minus 12 differential with three aces and 15 errors.

NEXT UP: The Marauders will look to bounce back in their season-closing contest at home on Friday, February 23. That match against the Trent Excalibur will get underway at 8:00 p.m. and can be seen live and on demand on OUA.tv.