The Marauders had an opportunity for revenge and to take their playoff fate in their hands Friday, but saw the result slip away in St. Catharines Friday.
McMaster held leads in all four sets against Brock, including a 22-18 advantage in the first, but fell 24-26, 25-17, 19-25, 21-25 to move to 10-8 on the season and put its chances of a playoff berth in peril.
The Marauders now require a win in their final match of the season Sunday, as well as a Windsor loss to Waterloo, to lay claim to the fourth and final playoff spot in the OUA West division.
Maddie Lethbridge led McMaster offensively in a losing effort, killing 12 of 26 attempts versus just two errors (385) while adding two solo blocks and two block assists for 15 points.
She was a bright light on a dark night for the Marauders offensively, as the team hit just .117 as a group.
McMaster enjoyed a four-point lead late in the opening set, and chased Brock to a timeout at 21-17. But the Marauders won just two of the next nine points, as the Badgers forged ahead to earn a set point.
Dodging the first set point they faced after a kill from Lethbridge, the Marauders were unable to do so two points later, and lost the set after Hailey Kranics was called on a double contact.
Things went from bad to worse to open the second set for the Marauders, as the Badgers jumped out to a 9-2 lead as the visitors struggled to find their passing range. Tim Louks called time with his team trailing 11-4, but the set was entirely overhauled when McMaster setter Rebecca Maxwell rotated back to serve.
With the setter providing a steady stream of challenging float serves, the Marauders proceeded to rip off 15 consecutive points and forced Badgers coach Steve Delaney to burn both of his timeouts along the way.
Her run was finally ended when Brock found paydirt with a light tip through the middle, but the damage was done and McMaster boasted a seven-point lead.
The teams settled in for side-out volleyball from there, and the cushion was more than enough for the Marauders, who took the set on their second opportunity when a Badgers serve sailed well long for 25-17.
A rough start to the third set saw the Marauders drop seven of the first nine points and head to an early timeout. The deficit was four at the technical timeout, but McMaster roared back into contention in the late stages, and won six of the next seven points to take an 18-17 lead after a tip from the left.
The break proved vital for the hosts, who returned to play to win eight of the next nine points in response. Carrying momentum to the finish line in the third, the Badgers took it on their first set point opportunity with an ace.
Refocused after the change of ends, the Marauders emerged strongly to open the fourth and led 8-3 after a pair of well-crafted kills.
But that lead began to disappear in short order, and Brock caught McMaster at the technical timeout to take a 16-15 lead before pushing on from there. One-way traffic continued, and the Badgers brought up a slew of match points at 24-18 when Jessie Nairn's tip flew long of the back line.
Despite the efforts of service substitution Felicia Malavolta, who aced the home side to bring up a timeout and helped McMaster save three match points, Brock ended the match on its fourth opportunity.
NEXT UP: McMaster faces a must-win situation in Toronto Sunday, as they battle the top team in the OUA, the Ryerson Rams, at 2:00 p.m. That contest will be webcast live on OUA.tv.
