Marauders book Final Four spot, beat Lions in straight sets

Leaving no doubt about their desire for banners, the Marauders confidently passed the first test of their postseason Saturday.
 
The top seed in the OUA West, McMaster dispatched the York Lions in straight sets (25-6, 25-22, 29-27) to book their spot in the OUA Final Four for a second straight season.
 
With the Ryerson Rams besting the Guelph Gryphons in four sets, the Marauders will now meet the Rams in an OUA semifinal on Friday, March 10 at the University of Toronto's Goldring Centre. McMaster defeated Ryerson over four sets in Toronto in the team's only meeting this season.
 
Veteran middle Maicee Sorensen led the Marauders with 15 points, and hit .455 against the Lions while notching six aces. McMaster's Joanna Jedrzejewska (12.5) and Aleks Arsovic (12) also enjoyed strong offensive performances in the win.
 
Sarah Williams scored nine points to lead the Lions in a losing effort. Carley Flemmer pitched in on the defensive end and led York with 13 digs.
 
The Marauders came out dominating every phase of the match in the opening set. Leaning on their league-leading service, the Marauders caught the Lions sleeping, as they took the opening set 25-6.
 
York stepped onto court for the second set looking for vengeance, as they seemed determined not to go down without a fight. The Lions doubled their attacking attempts in the second set, while the Marauders aided them with seven points from errors. However, the Marauders still pieced together a strong offensive showing, and took the set 25-22.
 
The third set raised the decibel level inside the Burridge Gym. York showed their resolve once again, as they refused to let the Marauders off easily. In dramatic fashion, the Lions and Marauders found themselves in a tug-of-war match down the stretch, and McMaster raced to try to complete the three-set sweep over the Lions.
 
Lions head coach John May called a desperate timeout as the Lions faced a match point, down 24-23 to the Marauders. The move paid off for the Lions, who levelled the set and forced it into extra points, before the home side edged the set and the match when Jedrzejewska killed for 29-27.

Source: McMaster Marauders