Ending the Marauders streak of 22 consecutive sets won, and 13 matches unbeaten dating back to November 2017, the Gaels handed the visitors a 25-18, 25-20, 25-23 defeat in Kingston.

With the loss, the U SPORTS sixth-ranked McMaster fell to 13-2 in OUA play, and retained a two-match lead atop the OUA West standings.

Aleks Arsovic (Burlington, ON) paced the Marauders with 11 kills and 13.5 points in a losing effort, but was held to just .194 hitting on the afternoon.

Their inability to consistently provide a quality first pass went a long way toward one of McMaster's least efficient hitting days of the season, as the team managed a combined average of just .146.

Queen's rookie outside Julia Wiercigroch showcased her abilities in racking up 12 kills and no errors on 23 attempts (.522) to lead the match offensively.

While the Gaels only earned five more points than the Marauders on the afternoon, they were consistently cleaner on the offensive end and from the service line, where their plus-two rating (seven aces versus five errors) contrasted sharply with Mac's minus six (four aces versus 10 errors).

NEXT UP:  McMaster continues their four-match road swing with visits to North Bay and North York on February 10 and 11. They meet the Nipissing Lakers in the first of those encounters, due for first serve at noon and available live and on demand on OUA.tv.