WINDSOR, Ont. – The McMaster Marauders' season came to a disappointing end Saturday night with a road loss to the Windsor Lancers. On a night where the Marauders couldn't seem to build any momentum, the Lancers needed just over an hour to claim the 3-0 (26-24, 25-18, 25-23) decision.
Rebecca Maxwell paced the balanced offense for McMaster claiming a team-high seven kills in the match. Hailey Kranics and Nikolina Malic added six kills each.
Christina Stratford (11 digs) and the rest of the back court did their best to hold off the Windsor attack but couldn't find an answer for Yaila Sealy who had an impressive showing for the blue and gold.
Sealy provided the Lancers with 14 kills and four service aces to go along with her nine digs.
McMaster's best shot at a set-win came in the third when it led 20-17, but the home team capitalized on a handful of missteps by the Marauders to go on an 8-3 run to take the set and ultimately the match.
Saturday's contest marked the second consecutive straight-set defeat for the Marauders who end the season on a six-game slide. After starting the OUA season hovering around the .500 mark, McMaster seemed to get back on track winning four of five games midway through the campaign. But their playoff hopes took an unfortunate turn at the end of January as they would go on to win just four sets over their final six matches.
The Marauders will look to regroup this offseason under the guidance of veteran head coach Tim Louks. With a handful of key players with valuable experience expected back for next season, McMaster will be hungry for a return to the Quigly Cup playoffs.
