TORONTO - The McMaster tennis teams traveled to the Mayfair East Tennis Club for the 2023 OUA Tennis Championships in search of a spot on the podium.
The #5 McMaster men's team faced off against the #4 Waterloo Warriors in the first contest of the weekend. The Marauders were swept 7-0 by the Warriors, eliminating the Hamilton squad from the championship.
For the women, the No. 3 seeded McMaster Marauders delivered a sweep of the Brock Badgers to advance to the OUA semifinal round. After winning all three of the doubles matches to begin the day, the Marauder women showcased their depth with strong victories from
Sarah Rubinstein in the No. 3 singles position and
Adele Lee in the No. 6 spot, with both earning unblemished 6-0, 6-0 match victories.
On Day 2, the Marauders faced a tough competitor in the No. 2 Toronto Varsity Blues. A perennial contender for the provincial title, the Varsity Blues picked up a 5-2 victory, with the Marauders picking up victories from
Scarlett Wang (6-4, 6-4) amd
Sarah Rubinstein (8-4). With the win, the Varsity Blues booked their ticket to the gold medal match while the Marauders would play for the right to defend last year's bronze medal. In the other semifinal, the No. 4 Waterloo Warriors took down the No. 1 Western Mustangs to advance to their first OUA final in over 15 years. With both semifinals completed, the matchups for the final day of competition were set - the Varsity Blues would face the Warriors in the championship final and the Marauders would battle the Mustangs, the defending OUA Champions, for bronze.
With hardware on the line, the Marauders entered Day 3 of competition ready to defend the bronze medal. Starting with the doubles competition, there was drama early. Both teams won a match, leaving the doubles point on the table for whichever team picked up the third and final doubles match.
Maia Mureseanu and
Scarlett Wang split sets with their competitors from Western, forcing a tiebreaker set. In a back-and-forth contest, the Marauders edged the Mustangs 8-6 to pick up a key victory for McMaster and a crucial point. With six singles matches remaining, the maroon and grey would have to earn three victories to secure the bronze medal for the second straight year.
The Mustangs took the opening game of singles action but the Marauders responded, with
Scarlett Wang in the two spot and
Sarah Rubinstein the sixth spot picking up big wins.
Alexandra Shulkin won the clinching match for McMaster, as she defeated her competitor 6-2, 6-1.
Maia Mureseanu and
Isabel Heyland retired their competitors to secure the Marauders a 6-1 final over the Western Mustangs to secure back-to-back bronze for the maroon and grey.
Two Marauders received conference accolades. Head Coach,
Kirsten Magi, was named the Women's Tennis Coach of the Year while
Eva Feddema was named an All-Star.
Showing consistency over the past two seasons, the Marauders have a bright future and are sure to challenge for the banner once again next season.
