Bidding to repeat as OUA champions, the Marauders ran into the form team of the season in their home gym Saturday, and fell at the final hurdle.

McMaster claimed the opening set in a dramatic, extra-point showdown before falling in four to the Ryerson Rams (29-27, 18-25, 19-25, 15-25), who won their the first OUA title in their history with the result.

With the win, Ryerson moved on to represent the OUA at the U SPORTS Championship tournament in Quebec City, while the Marauders season came to an end. Their silver was McMaster's second conference medal in as many seasons.

The Rams rookie setter Alicia Lam starred in the championship match, racking up 50 assists and keeping the Ryerson offence purring at a .314 clip over the course of four sets.

Her four primary targets, Lauren Veltman, Cailan Wark, Theanna Vernon and Janelle Albert led the way on the scoreboard, with Veltman posting a match high of 19 points while Wark matched McMaster's Aleks Arsovic (Burlington, ON) with 15 kills.

Vernon had 12 kills to complement a staggering five and a half blocks, while Albert was an efficient .304 hitting with nine kills, and added three aces.

For their part, the Marauders were led offensively by Arsovic, whose 15 kills and 16 points were both team highs. Third-year opposite Rachel Woock (Richmond Hill, ON) had 11 kills, while newly-crowned OUA West Player of the Year Maicee Sorensen (Hamilton, ON) had eight, and added two aces and a block for 11 points.

While their offence sputtered to a team-wide average of .188, the Marauders saw their opponents enjoy frequent success on the other side of the net, as Ryerson hit .314 as a group in their win.