The Marauders fell to the Badgers after a competitive four-set battle on Sunday afternoon in St. Catherines. McMaster made a great effort against the Badgers, who are the defending OUA Champions, but ultimately couldn't pick up the win on the road. 

Despite the tough loss, the Marauders competed with power and strength against the solid Brock team. Sullie Sundara (Kanata, Ont.) was an impressive offensive threat as per usual, leading the team with 13 kills and two service aces. Outside hitter Paige Entwistle (Jerseyville, Ont.) also had a strong performance with six kills and one service ace. 6'0" Hayley Brookes (Burlington, Ont.) led the team with 11 digs, with her athleticism on the court not going unnoticed. Consistently a key player for the Marauders, Christina Stratford (Burlington, Ont.) made 23 assists in the game. 

The game started out with a close first set, with points going back and forth. The Marauders were versatile, as six of their players put up at least one kill. The Badgers started to pull away with a small lead, forcing the Marauders into a timeout mid set. Brock was strong on their kills, as the Marauders battled to keep up. Three kills each from Maddy Lutes (Barrie, Ont.) and Entwistle helped keep the Marauders in the set along with five digs from Brookes, but it wasn't enough, and Brock took the first set 25-19. 

The Marauders started to gain momentum in the second set, remaining composed after a hard-fought start to the game. Four powerful kills from Sundara challenged the Brock defense and Stratford supported the Marauders with eight assists. First year Christina Hachokake (Ottawa, Ont.) had a great second set, with two kills and a service ace. The Badgers were able to tie up the score at 17-17 and then continued to take a small lead, but the game was close, with neither team looking dominant over the other. The Marauders reached the set point first and were able to finish off the set 25-20. 

The Marauders struggled to pick up points early in the third set as Brock took a small lead. The Badgers quickly started looking dominant in the third set as the Marauders struggled to keep up. Sundara contributed four kills and a service ace, but it wasn't enough to match the Badgers as they won set three 25-16. 

The Marauders struggled to interrupt Brock's rhythm, as the Badgers opened the fourth set with five unanswered points. Sundara continued to be strong on offense with four kills in the set. The last set had many long rallies with both teams looking strong on defense, but the Marauders struggled to finish them as Brock stole away with the points. The Badgers continued to have strong blocks and powerful offense, and despite their best efforts, the Marauders fell in the fourth set 25-10. 

Up Next 

The Marauders will now look forward to playing at home next weekend as they face the Nipissing Lakers on Friday night. They will hope to get back to their winning ways after a weekend of tough competition on the road.