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If you head west on the 403 from Hamilton, you’ll discover a gem nestled on the western part of the Golden Horseshoe. It’s a stone’s throw from McMaster and might as well be considered the university’s backyard. Welcome to Ancaster, ON, home to Lauren Mastroluisi.
Mastroluisi went to Ancaster High from 2007-2011 and was a multisport athlete who played basketball, water polo, badminton and tennis in addition to volleyball. She played club for Burlington’s Defensa and won club nationals in 2011.
Head Coach Tim Louks heavily recruited Mastroluisi since grade nine. She received high interest from Guelph, Laurier and even got some notice from the NCAA’s Eastern Michigan and Bowling Green. But when the time came to choose, Mastroluisi went with what she knew her whole life.
Her entire family went to McMaster.
“My parents and my brothers went here. My brother played football for Mac and my dad played hockey for Mac. It’s a Mac family,” said Mastroluisi. “My parents always told me I could go wherever I wanted, but something pulled me here because I knew how much everyone in my family loved it.”
As a student-athlete, nothing says welcome to the university level like playing in front of a roaring home crowd. One of her favorite memories came from her rookie season when McMaster hosted the Women’s CIS Championships.
“We played No. 1 Alberta in the quarterfinal and we were ranked No. 8. We walk into the gym and the roar of the crowd was insane. There were so many people there,” said Mastroluisi. “I had an adrenaline rush for the next two weeks. I was shaking. It was the most fun and we took a set off them, which was hype. Taylor (Brisebois), Mira (Krunic) and I started that game, which was huge because we were little first years. It was wild.”
In her career, Mastroluisi made two CIS Championship appearances (2012, 2014) and won an OUA banner in 2014. She was named to the CIS and OUA All-Rookie team in 2011 in addition to being named McMaster’s team MVP and OUA First Team All-Star in 2015.
Her fourth year was her best one yet.
“I think that, physically, it was my best year all-around. I was in my best shape. I started to understand the game more,” Mastroluisi said. “Instead of just hitting the ball I would start hitting shots. I would see the court better.”
It was in those senior years that she developed her biggest skill at Mac.
“Playing for Mac taught me patience. Coach has really pushed the concept of patience on us. Slow it down, take a breath, see and know what you’re doing,” said Mastroluisi. “When you’re in a game you can get caught up with the crowd and everything, but taking a breath and being patient has been huge.”
On the topic of patience, Mastroluisi is in a season of life that requires just that. When volleyball has been life for 11 years, it takes some time to transition into your next step. Upon graduation, she hopes to go to teacher’s college. Her passion to invest in kids’ lives can be traced back to her time volunteering at the Hamilton Boys and Girls Club.
“Community outreach has been big for me. I’ve been involved with Mac Athletes Care since first year. You just hangout with kids and help them with anything they need,” Mastroluisi said. “It’s like being a big sister.”
Her desire to invest in the next generation stretches from the court to the classroom. She cited her Defensa coach, Rob Fernley, as her inspiration.
“He puts so much effort into making sure that his athletes are the best that they can be. I think six out of the 10 girls on my club team played NCAA Division I and did well,” Mastroluisi said. “He was into developing potential. I want to be the type of coach that sees something in a kid and trusts my instincts on their potential.”
McMaster teammates Ina Onat and Rebecca Steckle think Mastroluisi is a natural when it comes to identifying the best in others. From the testimony of her friends, teaching and coaching seem to be the perfect fit for her.
“She sees the potential in those around her and encourages them to be their best selves, whether it be in volleyball or in life. She is full of life and has left her mark on each one of us,” said Onat.
“She is the life of the team on the court. I would argue that there are very few people who are able to truly make others believe in themselves, but Lo is one of them. She has the uncanny ability to allow you to be yourself and have complete confidence in who you are and what you bring to the team,” said Steckle.
“Although Lo has been influential on the court for the past five years, it is her friendship and love for people that will continue to change lives, like it has mine. She is a rare breed.”
As she transitions into the next season of her life, Mastroluisi walks away from McMaster bleeding the only color she has known: maroon.
Photo Credit: Yousif Haddad
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She wore the No. 1 because she’s tall and lanky.
Head Coach Tim Louks says that when some recruits ask to play for Mac, one of the first things he asks them is, “Can you block like Taylor Brisebois?”
The six-foot-two middle has been a staple for McMaster volleyball since arriving on campus in Fall 2011.
A product of The Hill Academy — a prep school located in Vaughan, ON — Brisebois’ decision to go maroon was an easy one. Former McMaster Volleyball player Emily Dennis played club volleyball with Brisebois with the Aurora Storm and played a big role in getting her to commit to Mac. Brisebois received offers from Toronto and Queen’s, but didn’t even take her visits because she was so sold on Mac.
Brisebois played in 85 matches over her five-year career, steadily improving as time went on. She has been team captain for the past two seasons.
“I was lucky enough to start in my first year, but I really broke out in my third year. I really peaked in my fourth and fifth years, though,” said Brisebois.
The numbers back her up.
In her fourth year with McMaster she tallied 135 kills in 19 matches, a respectable .285 hitting percentage and 68 blocks. This season, in her fifth and final year, Brisebois racked up 154 kills in 19 matches, a steady .283 hitting percentage and 54 blocks. She averaged 3.5 points per set and accounted for 82 digs — both career highs. Brisebois has been named to OUA All Star teams four out of her five seasons here making Second Team in 2016 and 2014, First Team in 2015, and All-Rookie Team in 2012. She made two appearances at CIS Nationals in 2012 and 2014 and won an OUA banner in 2014.
Louks has had a huge impact on her.
“He has always had a lot of faith in me. That has enabled me to take risks. He trusts me. If I make an error, I know he won’t just take me off. He trusts me to figure things out,” Brisebois said.
Her easygoing personality and love for both the game and the people around her make her presence that much easier to miss. One distinctive quality about her is her happy-go-lucky persona on the court that shouldn’t be mistaken for carelessness. Rather, it magnifies a quality she admires in herself.
“When I make mistakes I’ll think about it and try and make the next play better, but I’m not going to let it shut me down. My defense mechanism when I make mistakes is to kind of laugh it off,” said Brisebois. “Others will look at me and think that I’m not taking it seriously. I like that about myself, but others might not.”
A career moment that stands out to her comes from McMaster’s OUA bronze medal loss against Western earlier this month.
“I really felt like I shut down Kelsey Veltman in the fifth set. That was really fun,” said Brisebois.
Fellow graduating captain Lauren Mastroluisi knows how good her teammate is.
“I’ve seen Taylor transform into one of the best middles in the OUA,” said Mastroluisi. “I’m so proud of her.”
Brisebois’ volleyball inspiration came from former Marauder Shannon McRobert and current teammate Maicee Sorensen.
“I looked up to Shannon in my first and second year and then Maicee for the rest. They both shaped the way I played volleyball and were great leaders,” Brisebois said.
“When I make mistakes I’ll think about it and try and make the next play better, but I’m not going to let it shut me down.”
Sorensen thinks very highly of her graduating teammate.
“Taylor doesn’t know this, but I’ve been watching her play long before I came to Mac. She was the player I wanted to be. She has set the standards around here really high, whether it has to do with volleyball itself, or just being a great person,” said Sorensen. “I hope that when my time here comes to an end I can leave half the mark she has.”
Second-year outside middle Ina Onat will miss her teammate dearly.
“Taylor is the most positive and encouraging person I know. She made it her goal to cultivate our team into a positive and inclusive space and that is what it is today,” said Onat. “Her love and commitment to our team has been unconditional. Taylor has definitely left her mark on each one of us and we will miss her very much.”
It’s not easy to replace someone like her.
Brisebois will graduate with a double major in Sociology and Labour Studies. She wants to possibly pursue a career in Human Resources and is open to possibly coaching boys’ volleyball in the future. Playing professional volleyball is another option, but she is very home and family-oriented so that’s not her priority.
Thinking about the future is scary, but for the moment she’s enjoying her last few weeks at the school that became her home the past half-decade.
“You kind of feel like a celebrity playing volleyball at Mac. You get interviews and pictures taken of you. Kids and teams come in to watch you play,” said Brisebois. “You’re kind of put on a high pedestal so you want to do well and represent your school and community. I’ll miss that stage. I fell more and more in love with Mac as the years went on.”
Photo Credit: Yousif Haddad
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WOMEN’S RUGBY
McMaster Women’s Rugby played some of their best rugby this year. With four wins and one loss in the regular season, the team was prepared for defend their OUA title. After defeating the Guelph Gryphons 12-3, the team became back-to-back OUA Champions. Gaining their second consecutive OUA title this year, the team went on to take it all as they defeated the host Queen’s Gaels 27-3. The program claimed their first CIS title in history. After a strong season, captain Cindy Nelles was named Most Valuable Player and Rina Charalampis was awarded the Community Service Award. Nelles, Colleen Irowa, Emily Ricketts, Katie Svoboda and Abi Moody were named All-Stars for their work on the field.
Photo Credit: Ian McAlpine
MEN’S VOLLEYBALL
For the fourth consecutive year, the McMaster Men’s Volleyball team were named OUA Champions. Well known for the strong volleyball program that has been built under the leadership of Head Coach Dave Preston, the Marauders hosted the championship game and dominated for the banner. In a straight three-set victory over the Ryerson Rams, the Marauders further cemented the greatness they have created. The team has been playing behind veteran leadership from Stephen Maar who was named OUA MVP. Danny Demyanenko and Andrew Kocur joined Maar as OUA First-Team All-Stars. Libero Pawel Jedrzejewski was named a member of the Second-Team.
Photo Credit: Jon White/ Photo Editor
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It all ended on March 12 in the Nation’s Capital.
After an emotional and long two days of play at the University of Ottawa’s Montpetit Hall for the OUA Final Four, the Marauders got back on the bus headed to Hamilton empty handed. No gold, no silver, no bronze.
The hard work the entire season seemed to depend on the team’s ability to hold it together for two 40-minute games and that didn’t happen. The losses in both games not only ended the chance for an OUA medal, but ruined a CIS Final 8 berth.
Each regular season win was working towards something bigger than just them. Each win was preparing them to get closer to what they wanted to claim this season: an OUA banner.
And the McMaster Women’s Basketball team was given that opportunity.
During the OUA quarter-final game vs. Queen’s at Burridge a few weeks prior, the Marauders punched their ticket to the OUA Final Four alongside Ottawa, Ryerson and Windsor.
During Friday’s semi-final game, the game deciding which team would make it to the OUA gold medal game, McMaster dropped a 42-56 game to the hosts for the weekend, the Ottawa Gee-Gees.
With both teams looking to advance to the championship game the following day, Ottawa was defending homecourt while McMaster was looking to avenge the loss suffered in Burridge during Think Pink.
It was a low scoring game for both teams. McMaster was led by Danielle Boiago’s 19 points. The rest of the 23 points came from five players on the team despite a total of 11 touching the hardwood. The numbers did not look too good for McMaster and as the 40 minute game elapsed, the game fell in favour of the Ottawa Gee-Gees.
The team had to shake off the losing feeling rather quickly as they were set to play the Windsor Lancers the following day for bronze.
There was much more production from the Marauders this game with Boiago leading the scoreboard with 19 points for the night. Clare Kenney also added 17 points for the team.
Unfortunately, the team was not able to end the game with a win and lost to the Lancers 58-68. Windsor claimed bronze.
As the team lined up to shake the hands of the bronze medalists, you could see the emotion on their faces and through their body language. Whether it was players thinking about what they could have done differently or the reality of the season ending was starting to hit them, the emotion was felt.
While the team travelled back home with results they did not intend for, the season was still an impressive one. The Marauders finished 16-7 this season.
With two graduating players leaving, Rachael Holmes and Siobhan Manning, the Marauders will use the offseason to improve and prepare for the following season of play. The team improved to play in the OUA Final Four this year and if they continue to push, a spot at nationals next year does not seem so out of reach.
Photo Credit: Greg Mason
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Banner dreams will have to wait another year for McMaster.
At the OUA Final Four at the University of Toronto’s Goldring Centre last weekend, the Marauders got a tough semi-final draw getting matched up against Toronto — the best team in the OUA and the No. 2 team in the nation.
McMaster pushed the Varsity Blues further than any OUA team had all year. Mac came out of the gates firing and dictated the match early on. The Marauders were playing well and looking energized while the normally unshakable Varsity Blues looked out of sorts.
McMaster’s first set win was the first time Toronto trailed since Oct. 31. Toronto took the second and third sets handily before Mac responded late in the fourth set with a comeback, but Toronto muffled McMaster’s furious comeback with a 30-28 fourth set win. Just a week removed from their unforgettable 36-34 second set win over Windsor, McMaster almost pulled off another wild set win.
The comeback wasn’t in the cards this time around.
Just two points away from sending Toronto to their first fifth set of the year, McMaster fell in four. The 3-1 match score doesn’t display the incredible fight the girls showed. They started the match on a good note, but Toronto just outworked them to the end. In fact, that’s what Toronto did to every team this year. That’s why they’re 21-0 entering CIS Nationals.
Head Coach Tim Louks had nothing but praise for the Varsity Blues, who ended up capturing their second consecutive conference title.
“Toronto was great, but Toronto has been great all year long,” said Louks. “We weren’t good enough. That’s as good a team as I’ve seen in a long time.”
Third-year libero Carly Heath confesses that Toronto wasn’t themselves at the start.
“They made an abnormal amount of unforced errors in that first set. We just took what they gave us. We stayed consistent,” said Heath. “They’re very efficient, very smart, and play very clean volleyball and they did not play that way in the first set.”
The rest of the match presented a stark contrast with Toronto taking the next three sets. and ultimately, the match.
“They were a completely different team in those sets,” Heath said.
Heath played a crucial role in keeping the Marauders afloat after Toronto seemingly threw the kitchen sink at the Marauders defense. Heath racked up an amazing 25 digs and was locked in defensively all match long. Whenever it seemed like Toronto had put a ball out of reach, Heath’s lightning quick agility and polished technique would keep the rally alive. The libero looked like the glue that held the Marauders together through the Varsity Blues’ onslaught.
She won player of the match because of her performance.
“I have a job and I know what I need to do to do it. We switched our whole defensive scheme for this match. Defense is what I do,” said Heath. “I knew Toronto was a strong hitting team. I knew that I would have a big job to do and I was excited to do it.”
Heath finished the weekend with 49 digs over two matches.
Coach Louks pointed out a trend in his libero’s gameplay.
“In the biggest matches of the year, Carly usually answers the bell,” said Louks. “She always does for the big ones.”
“It was unreal. It was probably one of the most exciting games I’ve been in. The energy in the gym was unbelievable. All of us were just feeding off adrenaline,” said Heath. “It was a lot of fun. Everyone was playing 110 percent and it honestly just didn’t work out in our favor.”
The following night, McMaster played rival Western for OUA bronze. They controlled most of the match until failing to finish the job in the fifth set. McMaster finished fourth in the OUA.
“There’s only one thing you can do in OUA women’s volleyball to go to nationals: win the conference title. We took our shot in the semis. I was a bit disappointed we didn’t get more out of a couple people, but I was pleased that others stepped in and did the job,” said Louks.
McMaster improved this season finishing 17-5 overall and making an OUA Final Four appearance. They were a set away from potentially upsetting the No. 2 team in the country. Last year they finished 15-5 and lost at home in an OUA quarterfinal. They took it a step further this year and hopefully that trend continues.
“I’m very pleased with these girls. Great year,” said Louks.
“It’s unfortunate how everything panned out results-wise, but I think we definitely improved as a team and we’re going to keep improving,” said Heath.
McMaster is also saying goodbye to three key graduating cornerstones in Mira Krunic, Taylor Brisebois and Lauren Mastroluisi.
Heath admits it’ll be different without this core group of girls.
“Those girls have had a huge, huge impact on and off the court. I don’t know the team without those girls. I live with them. I see them everyday,” Heath said. “It’s going to be really, really weird to see them go.”
“Those girls have made a good contribution to the program. They’ve represented themselves and their school well,” Louks said. “Those are the kinds of players and people we want to have here. It’s a good legacy.”
Photo Credit: Jon White/ Photo Editor
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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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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 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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