McMaster claims OUA women's volleyball banner in thrilling five set win over Western
TORONTO, Ont. - The No. 8 McMaster Marauders women’s volleyball team earned their third OUA title in program history after defeating Western 3-2 (28-26, 25-18, 25-27, 23-25, 17-15) in an incredible five set gold-medal match on Saturday night (Mar. 11) at the Goldring Centre for High Performance Sport.
TORONTO, Ont. - The No. 8 McMaster Marauders women's volleyball team earned their third OUA title in program history after defeating Western 3-2 (28-26, 25-18, 25-27, 23-25, 17-15) in an incredible five set gold-medal match on Saturday night (Mar. 11) at the Goldring Centre for High Performance Sport.
With the win, McMaster has booked their ticket as OUA champions to the 2017 U SPORTS championship next weekend (Mar. 17-19) at Mattamy Athletic Centre alongside silver medalist Western and host Ryerson. For McMaster it marks their first trip to the U SPORTS championship since their last OUA title in 2013-14, when they finished sixth at the national event.
McMaster completed the regular season with a 16-3 record, finishing first in the OUA West. The Marauders earned their spot to the OUA Final Four after a 3-0 quarter-final win over York last weekend and went onto defeat Ryerson, 3-0, in semifinal action last night.
McMaster was led in the gold medal match by OUA West first team all-star and player of the match Joanna Jedrzejewska who finishing the five set showdown with 21 points from 14 kills, four service aces and three solo blocks, while also adding 15 digs.
The Marauders also saw incredible play on the front line from Maicee Sorensen and Aleks Arsovic who earned 16 and 15 points respectively from their net play.
OUA West second team all-star libero Carly Heath repeated her outstanding semifinal defensive effort, earning a game-high 30 digs in the gold medal match, while setter Caitlin Genovy finished the night with 44 assists and 10 digs.
Leading the charge for the Mustangs in the outstanding contest was OUA West player of the year Kelsey Veltman who recorded a game-high 21.5 points from 19 kills and 2.5 blocks, while adding 17 digs defensively.
Western's player of the match Candice Scott was close behind with 21 points off of 13 kills, six service aces, and two solo blocks.
OUA West first team all-star setter Kat Tsiofas finished the night with a game-high 50 assists, while also tying libero Courtney Sestric with a team-high 22 digs.
After a quick start from the Marauders, both teams exchanged points back-and-forth as an exciting first set, including an amazing minute long rally, foreshadowed what was to come. Despite a late surge from the Mustangs, McMaster held on for the 28-26 first set victory.
In the second, the Marauders net presence took over as the trio of Aleks Arsovic, Maicee Sorensen, and Alicia Jack produced block after block, securing a decisive 25-18 second set victory.
Western responded in the third utilizing a strong service run from Veltman following the technical timeout. Together with excellent middle play from Candice Scott, the Mustangs secured a 27-25 third set win.
McMaster's player of the match Jedrzejewksa sparked the Marauders in the fourth set during her own impressive service run. However, Western would once again snatch momentum back, digging several strong Marauders attacks in order to develop their own counter attack. The shift allowed the Mustangs to even the match 2-2, forcing a fifth and deciding set.
Both teams opened the nail-biting final frame exchanging errors, but with another strong run from Jedrzejewska and a final block from Sorensen the Marauders sealed their banner win.
STAT LEADERS
McMaster
Kills: Joanna Jedrzejewska (14), Aleks Arsovic (14)
Points: Joanna Jedrzejewska (21), Maicee Sorensen (16)
Blocks: Alicia Jack (5), Maicee Sorensen (4)
Digs: Carly Heath (30)
Assists: Caitlin Genovy (44)
Service aces: Joanna Jedrzejewska (4), Maicee Sorensen (2)
Player of the match: Joanna Jedrzejewska
Western
Kills: Kelsey Veltman (19), Aja Gyimah (16)
Points: Kelsey Veltman (21.5), Candice Scott (21)
Blocks: Danielle Grasman (4), Kelsey Veltman (2.5)
Digs: Courtney Sestric (22), Kat Tsiofas (22)
Assists: Kat Tsiofas (50)
Service aces: Candice Scott (6), Tia Miric (2)
Player of the match: Candice Scott
OUA FINAL FOUR SCHEDULE & RESULTS
Friday, March 10
6:00pm Western 3 Toronto 2
8:00pm McMaster 3 Ryerson 0
Saturday, March 11
6:00pm Bronze medal match: Toronto 3, Ryerson 1
8:00pm Gold medal match: McMaster 3 Western 2