They return to the big city, albeit in a different gym, to attempt the same feat Friday and Saturday as defending conference champions and the seventh-ranked team in Canada.

The first hurdle in front of them at the OUA Final Four, hosted this year at Ryerson's Mattamy Athletic Centre, is a semi final against the traditional OUA East powerhouse Toronto Varsity Blues Friday at 8:00 p.m.

McMaster completed a 17-2 regular season to clinch the top seed in the OUA West division, and followed with a comfortable three-set win over the York Lions in a quarter final match at Burridge Gym on March 3 to book their place in the Final Four for a third straight year.

By comparison, the 15-4 Blues faced a battle to advance to the conference tournament, going five sets with the Guelph Gryphons at the quarter final stage before ultimately powering to a 15-4 victory in the final frame.

McMaster and Toronto will play in the second of Friday's semi final matches, slated for an 8:00 p.m. first serve after the conclusion of the preceding semi final between the hosts and top-seeded Ryerson Rams and the Western Mustangs at 5:30 p.m.

There is only a single berth to the U SPORTS Championship tournament on the line this weekend, which awaits the OUA champion.

All four matches of the two-day Final Four event will be available live and on demand on OUA.tv.

Tickets for the event are available at ryersonrams.ca.

CONFERENCE HONOURS

The two top players in the OUA face off Friday when the Marauders and Blues meet, as McMaster middle Maicee Sorensen (Hamilton, ON) was named the OUA West Player of the Year on March 5, while Toronto outside hitter Alina Dormann achieved the three-peat as OUA East Player of the Year.

All told, the two teams boast seven all-stars between them. In addition to Sorensen, McMaster outside Aleks Arsovic (Burlington, ON) cracked the OUA West First Team, while setter Caitlin Genovy (Stoney Creek, ON) and libero Carly Heath (Water Valley, AB) were named to the second team. Accompanying Dormann, outside Anna Feore was named to the OUA East First Team, while rookie Jenna Woock appeared on the second team.

LAST MEETING

McMaster 3-1 Toronto (25-16, 25-19, 10-25, 25-20) - November 24, 2017

In the final match before the onset of the holiday break, the Marauders deployed a radically different lineup to great effect against the Blues, as rookie setter Rebecca Maxwell (Cambridge, ON) made the most of her first start. She racked up 26 assists and five aces, leading a McMaster assault from the service line that saw Mac knock down 12 aces against just four errors in the four-set win.

Third-year right side Rachel Woock (Richmond Hill, ON) led the Marauders with 10 kills and 14.5 points, while Dormann put her offensive skills on display in a losing effort, with 16 kills and 20.5 points for the Blues.

SCHEDULE

Day 1 - Friday, March 9

Semi Final 1: Ryerson vs. Western (5:30 p.m.)

Semi Final 2: McMaster vs. Toronto (8:00 p.m.)

Day 2 - Saturday, March 10

Bronze: Loser SF 1 vs. Loser SF2 (3:00 p.m.)

Gold: Winner SF1 vs. Winner SF2 (6:00 p.m.)