Missing their starting libero, and seemingly their rhythm as a group as well, the Marauders were handily beaten on the road Friday.
The Marauders were without veteran passer Zoe Mackintosh, and fell 15-25, 25-19, 16-25, 19-25 to the Guelph Gryphons Friday, on the penultimate weekend of the OUA volleyball season.
With the result, McMaster fell to 10-7 in OUA play, and sits fourth in the conference's west division with two matches left to play in the regular season.
The Marauders are guaranteed a playoff spot, but will need to win both remaining matches and be aided by outside results in order to catch the Western Mustangs and Brock Badgers if they hope to host a postseason match at Burridge Gym.
On a night to forget for Mac offensively, right side Jessie Nairn was the team's leading scorer with 13 kills and a total of 15 points, but hit just .135 with an uncharacteristic total of eight errors.
In the absence of their starter, outside hitter Maya Sokolowski filled the libero spot for the Marauders Friday, and ended the night with 11 digs while getting more confident in the role as the match progressed.
A nightmare start for the Marauders saw them drop the first five points of the match and scramble to a timeout, creating a deficit that Mac was never able to erase in the first set, as the visitors fell by a 10-point margin.
Grabbing a 9-8 lead in the second after a pair of aces from left side Rachel Woock, the Marauders punished the Gryphons for a slew of hitting errors in the set, and pulled away to level the match when middle Hailey Kranics ended a long kill by dusting off the quick pass in the middle for 25-19.
But when the hosts adjusted from their setback in the second, the Marauders were unable to keep pace, and fell behind 15-10 and were sent to a timeout by coach Tim Louks after dropping six of eight points midway through set three.
Things only worsened from there for McMaster, and Guelph needed just one set point to retake the overall lead after a kill from Sophia Herrera for 25-16.
Side-out volleyball ruled early in the fourth set, until the Gryphons found a run with Cassidy Collins at the service line to win seven consecutive points surrounding the technical timeout and take an 18-11 lead. That proved to be the difference maker, and despite a late fightback that saw the Marauders draw within three at 21-18, the home side saw out the win without too much fanfare.
NEXT UP: The Marauders travel to St. Catharines to take on the Brock Badgers, who currently hold the second seed in the OUA West with a 12-6 record, on Friday, February 21. That match will get underway at 6:00 p.m. and be available live on OUA.tv.
