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Ask anyone who was in Burridge last Friday night and they will tell you that the gym was shaking with energy. The enthusiasm of the large audience of maroon-clad fans provided the Marauders with that “seventh man” that they’ve yearned for the home crowd to be all year. The intensity and noise were consistent throughout the match, but peaked in what was arguably the best set I have ever witnessed in my three years here at McMaster.
Fourth-year outside hitter Rebecca Steckle recounts the big playoff win, but insists Mac’s impressive showing was no accident.
“I think thrilling is a perfect description. We were prepared and had a great week of practice. We were on another level and just ready to win,” said Steckle. “I think that we went out and controlled the game from start to finish. There was never a moment where I felt as though Windsor was controlling the momentum.”
McMaster sent Windsor packing all three sets, but the most memorable was their 36-34 score in the second set that the relentless Marauders wrestled away from the grips of the persistent Lancers.
The latter part of the second set was like a heated fight between two prizefighters throwing their best haymakers at each other. Windsor set Melissa Smyth several times and Mac relied on the powerful and steady hands of Maicee Sorensen and Steckle.
Steckle finished with 18.5 points and Sorensen landed 14.5 of her own. The two front court players were disruptive and authoritative at the net all night long.
The Mac fans in Burridge were taken on an emotional roller coaster; each Lancer point elicited stressful gasps and each Marauder score incited faithful Marauders to their feet.
“The rowdy crowd made it that much more fun and we wanted to entertain them,” said Sorensen.
Windsor had Mac backed up against the wall many times in that second set as they wanted to take a match point, but the Marauders kept swinging back and hitting floor.
Eventually they broke through and that was the turning point of the match.
“That second set was absolutely absurd,” said Steckle.
Even though it was incredibly stressful and the stakes were high, Steckle had no doubt in her team’s ability to come through.
“When I think back, the part I am actually astounded by is that there was never a moment where I stepped into our huddle after a point and wondered if we would lose,” Steckle said.
“Every time I looked into the eyes of my teammates, I honestly believed we would win. Windsor had several set points in the second, but it didn’t matter to us. We believed and we chose not to stop fighting.”
Sorensen provides insight into the depth of that fight.
“We fought off 10 set points to win the second,” said Sorensen.
After winning the toughest part of the match, McMaster won the third set and punched their ticket to the OUA Final Four — which they failed to do last season.
The Marauders will travel to Toronto this weekend along with Ryerson and Western. McMaster enters with a 17-3 record and a 7-2 road record.
McMaster plays Toronto in an OUA semifinal at 6 p.m. this Friday at the Goldring Centre on the campus of U of T. The team played Toronto twice this season and lost both matches.
The Friday night match promises to be a tense one, as McMaster and Toronto are the only OUA teams in the CIS Top 10. The winner will play Ryerson or Western in the OUA title game.
Head Coach Tim Louks was blunt about the reality of the weekend.
“I told the girls that there are going to be tears either way,” said Louks. “The question is, ‘What kind of tears are they going to be?’ ”
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In sport, time is universally understood to bring order to an otherwise chaotic competition. In basketball, there is a 24 second shot clock and four 10-minute quarters. There are time-outs and a half time.
Since the season started back in November, the clock has been ticking for the McMaster Men’s Basketball team. The team has played 18 games from then until present and now more than ever before, how the team uses their time will determine how much time they have left in their postseason.
Over reading week, the Marauders had a busy two weeks with four games that were crucial to their national ranking.
On the first weekend — the Think Pink Weekend — two of Canada’s teams best visited Burridge Gym.
For many fans of Ontario university basketball, Ottawa and Carleton are known national powerhouses.
In a packed gym filled with basketball fans and supporters of the McMaster Men’s Basketball program, the energy was an added bonus for the team. Big plays resulted in loud cheers from the crowd and McMaster came out that night with a 96-90 victory over the Ottawa Gee-Gees. Troy Joseph led the team with 30 points for the night.
“His attitude, work ethic and commitment level in practice and games has been great,” said Head Coach Amos Connolly.
There was no doubt that it was a huge win for the team to beat an opponent ranked higher than them.
However, the game was followed by a 74-65 loss to Carleton the following night.
This past weekend, the Marauders played Nipissing and Laurentian and were able to run away with wins for both games.
While the usual rotation of players have been able to produce for the team, the bench has also been essential.
“We talk about the guys on the floor playing for the people on the bench and the bench supporting the people on the court,” said Connolly.
Everything that has happened this season is now in the past. Sure, the wins and losses are still documented but it cannot be dwelled on.
The way previous seasons have ended is a bittersweet memory, but the 20-deep roster knows that they are making their own future.
On Wednesday Feb. 24, the team travelled to St. Catherines to compete with OUA rival, Brock Badgers. The Marauders last played the Badgers at Burridge Gym in November and lost 83-75.
“The game in November is more about the rivalry and this game is more about playoff implications,” said Connolly.
While the noise of an arena that can seat 5,300 people can bring an unwelcoming feeling, the Marauders understand the reward in victory regardless of the opponent and the environment.
McMaster looked comfortable last night as they defeated Brock to a score of 80-69.
The team will end the regular season in Guelph on Feb. 26.
This playoff season will be the last for Aaron Redpath, Leon Alexander and Troy Joseph. Just like the rest of the McMaster Men’s Basketball family, they are looking to support each other and go as far as time will allow.
Photo Credit: Jon White/ Photo Editor
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Over reading week teams like Toronto and York did their fair share of talking after handing McMaster their first two losses of the season. McMaster played more of their younger players for the final three matches of the season and won one — their season finale at Nipissing.
Younger players like Calvin Lee, Connor Santoni, Jeff Driediger, Peter Khodkevych, Craig Ireland, Matt Passalent and Ebbasa Dugassa carried the bulk of playing time to round out the season. Santoni had some of his best scoring performances of his young Mac career with 14 points against York and 23 against Nipissing. Second-year setter Calvin Lee had 50, 42 and 43 assists doing his best to spread out the Marauders offensive attack.
“I thought the final three games were great opportunities for some kids to get some more experience. We improved the depth of our roster a lot,” said Head Coach Dave Preston. “We got some guys healthier. That’s always a good thing at this stage in the season.”
The Marauders finished the regular season 18-2, with 9-1 records on the road and at home. In addition, McMaster clinched a spot in the OUA Final Four and will host it for the second consecutive season.
“The fact that we were able to rest some guys gave us a luxury that many other teams can’t afford. Not many teams can afford to create depth near the end of the season,” said Preston. “I really don’t care what other teams’ agendas are. I know what our agenda is and I know that we were able to stick to it.”
For those of you who haven’t heard, our Men’s Volleyball team did not finish the regular season unbeaten. Some put more value on that than others, but Coach Preston and the rest of his squad know the real money is still waiting on the table.
“We set three goals at the beginning of the year. It was to secure as much home court advantage throughout the playoffs as possible. We already did that,” said Preston. “The second one was to challenge for an OUA championship and the third one was to challenge for a CIS championship. Those two things are still on the table.”
Some of the team’s best qualities have reached their heights this season. The Marauders have a deep lineup and they can maintain their system and pace of play regardless of whom they put on the floor.
“Not many teams can afford to create depth near the end of the season.”
They’ve been waiting too long for them and McMaster has grown hungry.
No. 2 McMaster will play in an OUA seminfinal on March 4 at 8 p.m., and a national quarterfinal on March 10.
Photo Credit: Jon White/ Photo Editor
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With the regular season dwindling down, the McMaster Women’s Basketball team is getting closer to the chance of claiming an OUA banner.
The team played four games in the last two weekends at Burridge Gym and came out with a victory from all but one.
With the team suited up and donning their pink socks worn every game as homage to Head Coach Theresa Burns and her battle with breast cancer, they were ready for the first game of Think Pink Weekend.
The first weekend saw the McMaster Marauders match up with two teams from the nation’s capital, the Ottawa Gee-Gees and the Carleton Ravens.
Friday night’s game was a sight to see as fans witnessed the Marauders and Gee-Gees go toe-to-toe in a game that went to overtime. McMaster came up short and fell to the Gee-Gees by a score of 61-60. The Marauders were led by guard Danielle Boiago who scored a game high of 25.
“Whenever you lose in overtime, it’s tough and those are the games that you want to be good down the stretch,” said Boiago.
Though the game came as a valuable learning experience for the team, the loss still held a stinging impact.
“That was our game to have,” said interim Head Coach Anne Marie Thuss.
The team had to shake the loss handed to them by the Ottawa Gee-Gees quickly as they hosted the Carleton Ravens the following night. The Marauders took the 73-51 victory at home led by Boiago’s 16 points. Forward Linnaea Harper also added 12 points.
The Marauders were able to add two more wins to their record as they dominated both Nipissing and Laurentian at home.
“Each game moving forward is a must win game for us.”
While the wins over the past two weekends have helped with the team’s playoff push, there is one factor of play that the team must work on.
The team has had a low shooting percentage from the three-point line and they have been working to become more efficient from long range in practice.
“It’s certainly an expectation that we have been working on in the last couple weeks of practice. This is the time of year that we need to make sure that we are focused during practice,” said Thuss.
For a team that practices in game mode, the next regular season game will be played like a playoff match and ranking is important.
“We need to go in there and play our best. Each game moving forward is a must win game for us,” said Boiago.
Competing in the playoffs has been projected from early on in the team’s season. They have circled the calendar and are working towards making it on March 12.
“We want to be in the OUA Final on that day. We need to win every game. Every game is an individual step towards that goal,” said Thuss.
The team’s matchup against Laurentian was a night to celebrate the graduating student athletes as the team will bid farewell to three players on the roster. Rachael Holmes, Siobhan Manning and Andrea Polischuk were celebrated for their time in Maroon. While the banner will be for the entire team to cherish, there is an added motivation to win for the players that are hanging up their jerseys. There is also a push as Head Coach Theresa Burns has returned to running the bench.
McMaster travelled to St. Catherines yesterday and defeated the Brock Badgers 83-73. The team was led by guard Hilary Hanaka’s 18 points.
With one game left in the 2015-16 regular season, No. 8 McMaster will look to end with a win in Guelph on Friday, Feb. 26. After that, they will wait for playoff seeding and get ready to compete for the title.
“We want to battle for each other,” said Boiago.
Photo Credit: Jon White/ Photo Editor
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A year removed from their home quarterfinal loss at the hands of the Western Mustangs, the McMaster Marauders find themselves in a similar position. The Marauders have a homecourt date with the Windsor Lancers to start their 2016 playoff run.
While most of the campus was away for reading week, McMaster Women’s Volleyball played their last three regular season matches of the year. The Marauders lost to Toronto at home and cemented their season with victories over York and Nipissing on the road.
In spite of a straight-set loss to a strong No. 2 Toronto team on Feb. 13, Head Coach Tim Louks was happy with his team’s fight.
“I was pleased with two of the three sets, although we didn’t win. We played them close,” said Louks. “We have a lot to learn because we’re not ready to beat that team, but I don’t know who is.”
Toronto has only lost a staggering three sets all season.
Louks let his team celebrate a bit after capping off their season in strong fashion, but he knows their job is far from over.
“I spent about five minutes congratulating the girls on the ability to put ourselves in a position to host a quarterfinal at home and compete from there,” said Louks.
“To host and dictate a little bit where we’re going to play and what time is nice. I love the Friday night slot. Hopefully we get a crowd. We might get some pull from that. We might be the only show in town so let’s bring noise and excitement.”
Last time McMaster faced Windsor, the Marauders mustered a gritty five-set comeback victory after dropping the first two sets. It was one of McMaster’s best wins of the season — good adversity to have in the bank for a playoff run that starts this weekend.
Windsor is a team that can give Mac a run for their money, but McMaster is confident they can dictate some of the game in their favor. The Lancers finished the regular season 11-8.
“Windsor has arguably had a good year. They’re doing some good things. #12 Shannon Dean is playing the best volleyball she has ever played in her career,” Louks said. “She’s probably going to command some double blocks from us. That being said, some of their other players are going to have to step up and play.”
McMaster finished 16-3, with a 9-1 home record and a 7-2 away record. They enter their OUA quarterfinal match ranked No. 7 in the nation.
Head Coach Louks knows that Windsor will be a tough game but the team is ready to defend the house.
“We’ve earned this playoff match. This is the only one we get to play at home so let’s enjoy it. Let’s go to work,” he added.
No. 7 McMaster hosts Windsor in an OUA quarterfinal on Friday Feb. 26 at 6:30 p.m. in the Burridge Gym.
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The minutes after a wrestler steps onto the mat matter more than anything else. The physical and mental preparation of a wrestler is evident through their meticulous and well thought out moves.
Though wrestling might not have a big fan base compared to other sports and some may call it unconventional, fourth-year wrestler Ahmed Shamiya learned to love it. Shamiya started wrestling in the ninth grade, but he didn’t know how far this love would lead him.
“I was trying to convince myself that I didn’t like it, but secretly I liked it. I kept with it, kept working hard and things worked out,” said Shamiya.
McMaster is home to many talented wrestlers. Year after year, Marauders compete in Maroon with their sights set on racking up medals and proudly wearing them around their necks. For most, they work all year for the chance at gold.
For fourth-year wrestler Ahmed Shamiya, his dream turned into reality last year as he won national gold in the 72kg weight class.
After losing to Brock’s Tyler Rowe in the OUA Championships two weeks before his victory, something changed for the veteran wrestler. With everything on the line at the CIS Champhionships, his final score was 6-5. That huge win for Shamiya is his greatest accomplishment to date.
“It was a big breakthrough for me. Mentally, I overcame so many barriers. He beat me pretty good two week earlier and nobody thought I was going to win. It was one of the best memories of my life,” said Shamiya.
For people that are not too familiar with the sport, they may not understand that the mental aspect of the game is just as important as the physical. Unlike sports that have timeouts and substitutions, a wrestler barely has any breaks. When they do have that break for water and to get a pep talk from their coaching team, they are still thinking about the next move and how they can get their opponent to the ground.
Shamiya admits that the mental game is a challenge and something that he has been working to master.
“When I first came to university, my coach described me as being afraid of my own shadow. Now, I’m very confident when it comes to stepping on the mat,” said Shamiya.
The mat is a hostile environment and matches are anything but friendly. Having the competitive edge over your opponent is crucial and a good warm-up is critical for a solid performance.
“You have to prepare yourself before it. I like to get a really good warm-up in,” said Shamiya.
With provincial and national championships nearing in the next few weeks, Shamiya will work to defend a national championship title.
Shamiya looks to inspirations like Conor McGregor and Muhammad Ali to prepare himself for the challenge.
“They are two guys that are perceived as arrogant, but they simply vocalize what they truly believe,” said Shamiya.
Shamiya will focus on the next two meets but his eyes are still set on the future. He hopes to play in the Olympics one day and there is no doubt that the passion Shamiya has for wrestling will only grow stronger.
“I’m looking to go as long as I can.”
Photo Credit: Nicole Roach
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The first moments of McMaster’s match against Lakehead last Friday night featured furious rallies indicating quite clearly that the 5-9 Thunderwolves wouldn’t go down silently at Burridge.
The first set ended in a close 25-21 decision in Mac’s favor, but it wasn’t until the second set that McMaster began to expose their opponents.
Fourth-year middle Rebecca Steckle noticed the hole in the defense.
“By the second set I knew that their defense wasn’t stopping our right side. In that moment I recognized that and told myself that if I got set I would do my best to put it down on them,” said Steckle. “If not score, I wanted to put them under stress so we could get a ball back and somebody else could score. They just weren’t stopping it. The second set was when we found their defensive weakness and we took advantage of it.”
There was a stretch in the match where Marauder first-year setter Michelle Chelladurai was setting every ball to Steckle on the right side and it hit nothing but floor every time Steckle touched it.
It was clear that McMaster had found the hot hand. Head Coach Tim Louks called it her best career match to date.
“Steckle was the player of the game,” said Louks. “There’s no question. Her intent was to block and attack everything above the height of the net. She had a great match.”
“I try not to think about my own game. I was just having fun. For me, it’s always about not thinking too hard about it and just playing the game,” said Steckle. “I just want to help my team win. If I can do that, then I’ll have a good match whether or not I’m the one putting the points on the board.”
The Marauders took the second set 25-19 and cruised to an authoritative 25-9 victory in the third set to end the match. McMaster had solved Lakehead and had little trouble putting them away.
“Regardless of scores, I felt like we played like we practiced all week,” said Louks.
McMaster got progressively better as the match went on.
“I think we started out slow, which is difficult sometimes if we want to get momentum, but we pushed through the beginning to get to a really good ending,” Steckle said. “Lakehead was good and we worked through it, but in the future we need to play at a high level the entire match.”
Steckle finished with a team-high 15.5 points and got nice support from fellow frontcourt teammates Taylor Brisebois and Maicee Sorensen who scored 11 and 10 points, respectively.
“I just want to help my team win. If I can do that, then I’ll have a good match whether or not I’m the one putting the points on the board.”
This week is Think Pink week for McMaster Athletics and the Marauders will host OUA powerhouses in Ryerson and Toronto later this week. Both Toronto teams will be a challenge for McMaster.
Ryerson is 12-3 while Toronto boasts a 16-0 record. McMaster is 13-2 and has lost 12 sets all year. That’s the second fewest lost sets in the OUA.
The only team that has lost fewer sets than them? Toronto. The Varsity Blues have only lost two sets all season.
“Against Ryerson and Toronto we need to maintain a high level of play throughout the match. We naturally have a lot of respect for both teams because we’ve seen what they can do,” Steckle said. “At the same time, we want to beat them and we believe that we can. There’s nothing but excitement in our team room this week. We know it’s a big weekend and we want to get after it. Our team works best when we’re having a good time.”
Photo Credit: Alistar Boulby
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What's Think Pink?
For the past nine years the CIS has held events to fundraise and raise awareness for breast cancer. Through sport and community engagement, McMaster Athletics & Recreation is helping with the cause. All proceeds from the week will be donated to the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation.
MVB: No. 1 McMaster vs. No. 9 Ryerson — Feb. 11, 2016 - 6:00 p.m. - Burridge Gym
After a week off, the McMaster Men’s Volleyball team returns to home court action against the Ryerson Rams. The Rams beat No. 10 Queen’s 3-1 on Jan. 30 and come to Burridge with a 12-4 record.
WBB: No. 7 McMaster vs. No. 9 Ottawa — Feb. 12, 2016 - 6:00 p.m. - Burridge Gym
Following a successful weekend at Lakehead, Burridge Gym will light up with the Marauders looking to win three straight games. When the teams met last year, McMaster came out victorious with a store of 69-65. McMaster will need solid performance from starters and the bench alike. The Marauders are sitting first place in the OUA Central Division.
MBB: No. 6 McMaster vs. No. 2 Ottawa — Feb. 12, 2016 - 8:00 p.m. - Burridge Gym
The Gee-Gees come into Burridge for the first time since November 2013 when they handed the Marauders a 100-85 loss. Ottawa is the reigning OUA champion and bring a 12-1 record into Burridge. Former Mac forward Nathan McCarthy now plays for Ottawa.
WVB: No. 7 McMaster vs. No. 3 Toronto — Feb. 13, 2016 - 12:00 p.m. - Burridge Gym
In what could arguably be their biggest match of the season to date, McMaster welcomes OUA powerhouse Toronto into Burridge. Toronto boasts an immaculate 16-0 record. This will be the last regular season home match for Marauders Taylor Brisebois, Mira Krunic, Khira Adams, Alicia Jack and Lauren Mastroluisi.
MBB: No. 6 McMaster vs. No. 3 — Carleton Feb. 13, 2016 - 8:00 p.m. - Burridge Gym
The reigning CIS champion Carleton Ravens make their long-awaited return to Burridge after their last visit on November 2013 that ended in an 83-72 Marauders loss. Carleton won last year’s matchup at the Ravens Nest, 92-75.
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It’s hard to pinpoint the Men’s Basketball team’s losses this past weekend on one single thing. The roaring atmosphere at Lakehead’s gym, The Thunderdome, could be one reason.
Lack of confidence could be a reason but a misguided one, as the team has played with their heads high throughout the season.
The McMaster Men’s Basketball team was on an eight game winning streak until this past weekend. Friday’s OUA Central division match-up saw the Marauders take the 73-67 loss and Saturday ended on a similar note.
McMaster held a 17-15 lead after the first quarter, 42-31 in the second quarter and 58-48 lead in the third quarter. Anybody looking at these numbers could have concluded that the Marauders were destined to win.
However, the fourth quarter stats were a little different.
The fourth quarter is when shots matter the most.
Of course, it is important to set the pace early on in the game but time and time again, leads evaporate in the fourth quarter. This was the case for McMaster’s Friday night game. McMaster scored eight points in the ten minutes of the last quarter, while Lakehead answered with 25.
Performance in the fourth quarter predicts winners and upsets. Upsets occur when a team expected to win losses to the underdog. This was the storyline for the McMaster Marauders for the first game of the two-game series.
Lakehead had the momentum and the noise in their home court backing them up.
While McMaster saw double digit points from three of their players (Aaron Redpath: 15, Leon Alexander: 15, Connor Gilmore: 14), it was not enough to silence the Thunderwolves. Lakehead was led by Bacarius Dinkins who accounted for 27 points and 15 rebounds.
Saturday night’s match-up saw the Marauders lose a late lead and fall to the Thunderwolves back-to-back.
Fourth quarter action determined it all again.
With under two minutes left in the game, McMaster led 72-64. From that point on, the narrative changed in favour of Lakehead and McMaster came up short as they were outscored 10-0.
Without leading scorer Alexander suited up for Maroon, Rohan Boney had a solid night with 18 points. Lazar Kojovic also had 16 points off the bench in a great performance for McMaster.
For the first time this season, the Marauders lost back-to-back games. For the first time this season, McMaster lost to a team ranked lower than them.
Because of this, the Marauders fell in both the CIS Top Ten ranking and their OUA Central division. The team’s nine wins and four losses have now placed them seventh in the country and seeded second in the division.
Losses are tough, especially this late in the season, and especially when McMaster has the talent to produce greatness.
This group has certain statistics they want to keep teams below. They have goals to score a certain number of points, while ensuring they limit the opposing teams.
Cold shooting in the fourth quarter will need to be addressed for a team that wants to compete for a championship banner.
With a week away from competitive play, the team will have to regroup and prepare for one of their biggest tests this season.
Two of the nation’s best, Ottawa and Carleton, will visit the Burridge Gym on Feb. 12 and 13. Tip-off is set for 8 p.m. both nights. These will be two games that Marauder fans will not want to miss.
Photo Credit: Alistar Boulby
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The Women’s Volleyball team has been working to put more pressure on their opponents; last week, they got a taste of their own medicine.
McMaster faced an early two-set deficit at Windsor. Their backs were up against the wall seemingly as soon as they got on the court and they had to respond quickly or go down quietly.
The Marauders looked tired and out of sync. They weren’t the same electric team we saw against the Gee-Gees a week ago.
Traveling was part of the reason for their fatigue, but that is not a good excuse for underperforming according to fifth-year captain Taylor Brisebois.
“Everyone keeps saying how it’s really tough to play on the road and I don’t know if I agree. We can talk about the travel time and how we sat in the team room for an hour and a half just waiting to warm up, but I feel like it’s not a good excuse for how we performed,” said Brisebois. “It had to do with how we practiced all week.”
Thankfully the energy came back and the Marauders mustered an impressive comeback and stole three consecutive sets from the Lancers to win in five sets. Brisebois, Jedrzejewska, Mastroluisi, and Sorensen scored in double-digits to lead McMaster’s comeback.
Brisebois says her team’s strong response to the early deficit was partly out of fear.
“I think we adapted to their gameplay. We learned as we went. We started making fewer errors. Fear kind of struck us. We realized we had to respond when we were down two sets,” said Brisebois. “It just took us a while. We were asleep the first two sets.”
Fifth-year outside hitter Lauren Mastroluisi made in-game adjustments that garnered high praise from Head Coach Tim Louks.
“Lauren was fantastic. She bought in and she executed,” said Louks.
Brisebois was impressed with her teammate’s ability and proficiency in adjusting on the fly.
“She adapted by hitting a sharp cross shot. She would make Windsor’s libero play a really short, off-speed ball,” Brisebois said. “It was cool to see because it’s a shot I haven’t seen her do a lot, but she was killing it.”
The next night at Western was a different story. The Mustangs mellowed the Marauders’ high spirits from the Windsor comeback.
Western dropped a four-set decision at McMaster in November, but Western was without standout second year Kelsey Veltman — arguably the Mustangs’ best player.
This time Veltman was healthy and the Mustangs exposed some of the Marauders’ weaknesses.
Brisebois saw it happen right away.
“They blocked us a lot. We’re not used to getting blocked,” Brisebois said. “Usually we hit a ball, we score, we move on. Teams really know us now. Western knew our shot charts really well. We need to learn how to hit different shots because we’re getting too predictable.”
“That night Western was better than us,” Louks said.
Western got their revenge and handed McMaster the same four-set defeat Mac handed them in November. Veltman scored a quarter of Western’s total points and Brisebois had to give her middle counterpart credit.
“Her presence made a huge difference. She is amazing,” said Brisebois. “It was also a revenge match for them. They had that fire that I guess we lacked. We were hyped for that match, but not the way they were. They wanted revenge. Hopefully next time it’ll be like that for us.”
“Everyone keeps saying how it’s really tough to play on the road and I don’t know if I agree."
The loss ended an impressive 11-match winning streak for McMaster and dropped them one spot to No. 7 in the latest CIS Top Ten poll.
“It was sad because I went into that game feeling really good. We won the first set and the second set was really close,” Brisebois said. “I think we were scared and holding back. We were scared of losing. We made errors everywhere.”
McMaster’s captain is aware that adjustments are necessary.
“We need to focus on minimizing errors and avoiding the block this week. Our error percentage was higher than usual. We look at a team like Toronto and they never miss,” said Brisebois. “That’s what we need to do. It’s not about how hard we can hit, but about not making errors and forcing our opponents to make errors.”
Louks thinks his team needs more replications of their opponents’ strategies so they can prepare better.
“In practice we need to show the girls more of what they can expect from our opponents. That’s on me,” said Louks. “I take that responsibility to help continue to inspire this group to find a way to put them in better places to be successful.”
No. 7 McMaster (12-2) hosts Lakehead (5-9) this Friday at Burridge. First serve is at 7 p.m.
Photo Credit: Alistar Boulby
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