Mac Outlasts Western in Five-Set Thriller to Win OUA Title
* Western | 2 | McMaster | 3 | Final | Box Score | Recap | |
OUA Gold Medal (Final Four @ University of Toronto) |
The margins could hardly get closer, but when the moment called for resolve, the Marauders came up with it Saturday.
McMaster navigated a marathon match in the OUA final, besting the Western Mustangs 17-15 in the fifth set to win the third conference title in their history. Watching a two-set lead evaporate, the Marauders rebounded in the decisive fifth to claim the see-saw victory (28-26, 25-18, 25-27, 23-25, 17-15).
With the Marauders men clinching their fifth consecutive OUA title earlier Saturday night, McMaster achieved the double volleyball banner for the third time in school history. The two programs previously won matching banners in 2008 and 2014.
McMaster outside Joanna Jedrzejewska was named the Marauders Player of the Match following a 21-point outing, shouldering the offensive burden with 60 touches. Maicee Sorensen also put forth a strong performance, tallying 16 points. The pair combined for six of team's 16 blocks, while Alicia Jack led the team with five solo blocks.
Both squads put together strong defensive efforts, with five members from each team cracking double digits in digs on the night. The strength of the defensive play showed in the teams' hitting rates, with Western held to just 10 per cent and McMaster 17.
Mac libero Carly Heath led all players with 30 digs over the five-set match.
The Mustangs duo of Candice Scott and Kelsey Veltman combined for 42.5 of Western's 80 points. However, they also accounted for 20 of their team's 39 errors, which proved costly in such a close match. McMaster only committed 22 errors as a team by comparison.
A razor-close match saw three sets eclipse the 25-point threshold, while the fifth itself went into the bonus.
The Marauders took the first two sets to take a stranglehold on the match, before the Mustangs stormed back to take the next two and set the stage for a dramatic finish.
With how closely matched the two squads were throughout the first four sets, the fifth was unsurprisingly no different. Blocking helped the Marauders take the lead late, and ultimately, it was the double stuff of Sorensen and Aleks Arsovic that brought the match to an end.
McMaster and Western will now head to the U Sports National Championship next weekend at Ryerson University in Toronto. The tournament will begin March 17 and run until March 19. Matchups for the tournament are yet to be determined.
Source: http://marauders.ca/
Pandas volleyball wins 11th Canada West Championship
* UBC | 1 | Alberta | 3 | Final | Box Score | Recap | |
CW Final Four - Gold (hosted by ALB) |
By Connor Hood
EDMONTON - The University of Alberta Pandas volleyball team defeated the UBC Thunderbirds 3-1 (25-18, 25-14, 18-25, 25-18), winning their 11th Canada West Championship, Saturday night at the Saville Community Sports Centre in Edmonton.
The No. 1 seeded Pandas captured their first conference title since 2012, and their second Canada West medal in three years.
“I’m just thrilled for our athletes and our coach staff.” said Pandas head coach Laurie Eisler after earning her 10th Canada West title at the helm of the Pandas. “Our team really earned this win, after everything they put into this weekend. This is arguably the most competitive conference in Canada, and to enter the nationals as the Canada West champion is a big deal, and is something that is really important to us.”
Fifth-year Alberta Panda Meg Casault scored a team-high 15 kills on Saturday, earning Canada West Final Four MVP for her efforts over the two-day competition. Fellow fifth-year Kacey Otto spun in 11 kills of her own on 38 attempts, adding 10 digs, five aces and an assist to earn the Mikasa Canada Player of the Match for Alberta.
This is also the first conference title for Otto and Casault in their final U SPORTS match in Edmonton, as well as fifth-year Karly Janssen, who scored the Championship winning point.
Laura MacTaggart tied Casault for the match-high with 15 kills, also adding seven digs and one block. Maggie Li and Juliana Kaufmanis finished with 11 kills each for the T-Birds on Saturday.
Coming off a convincing semifinal win over the UBC Okanagan Heat on Friday, Alberta carried that play into the conference final, scoring a 25-18 first-set win. The Pandas received contributions throughout their lineup, as Otto and Casault combined for seven first-set kills, while rookie middle Vanessa Jarman added three of her own.
That momentum stayed with the tournament’s top seed, as they opened the second set on a 7-1 run. The offensive surge forced UBC coach Reimer to call a timeout. The short break payed off, as a pair of Kaufmanis kills sparked a 5-2 UBC run. However, Alberta’s early lead proved too much to overcome, cruising to a 25-14 set win.
UBC was the only team to defeat Alberta in conference play, doing so twice this season in Vancouver, and that version of the T-Birds showed themselves in the third. Four quick kills by MacTaggart and Kaufmanis gave the visitors an early 8-5 lead. Another 8-5 run later on all but sealed the set for UBC. Four straight points starting at 21-18 gave UBC their first set win, 25-18.
However, the Alberta Pandas, who spent a majority of the season as the top ranked team in U SPORTS, returned to form in set four. Four kills from Casault, as well as three from Otto and one each from Jarman and Janssen paced the Pandas 25-18 win.
“We got away from what made us successful in the first two sets, but we got back to our style in the fourth set.” continued Eisler after the match. “[UBC] is just an awesome team. They present so many challenges to us, they kept fighting, and never went away. I’m really proud of the girls for pushing through.”
The Pandas will now advance to the U SPORTS Championship, and will almost certainly be a top two seed in Toronto. The Spartans, as well as the conference bronze medalist UBC Okanagan Heat will also represent the Canada West conference in Ontario. Canada West as accounted for 10 of the past 11 national women’s volleyball champions.
Source: https://www.ualberta.ca/
Other scores:
Fri. 10 | * Western | 3 | Toronto | 2 | Final | Box Score | Recap |
OUA Semifinal (Final Four @ University of Toronto) | ||||||
Montreal | 3 | Laval | 0 | Final | Box Score | |
RSEQ FINAL (GAME 2) | ||||||
* Ryerson | 0 | McMaster | 3 | Final | Box Score | Recap | |
OUA Semifinal (Final Four @ University of Toronto) | ||||||
* UBC Okanagan | 0 | Alberta | 3 | Final | Box Score | Recap | |
CW Final Four - Semis (hosted by ALB) | ||||||
UBC | 3 | Trinity Western | 1 | Final | Box Score | Recap | Recap | Recap | Photos | |
CW Final Four - Semis (hosted by ALB) | ||||||
Sat. 11 | * Ryerson | 1 | Toronto | 3 | Final | Box Score | Recap |
OUA Bronze Medal (Final Four @ University of Toronto) | ||||||
Laval | Montreal | 6:00 PM EST | ||||
RSEQ FINAL (GAME 3 - If necessary) | ||||||
* UBC Okanagan | 0 | Trinity Western | 3 | Final | Box Score | Recap | Photos | |
CW Final Four - Bronze (hosted by ALB) | ||||||
* Western | 2 | McMaster | 3 | Final | Box Score | Recap | |
OUA Gold Medal (Final Four @ University of Toronto) | ||||||
* UBC | 1 | Alberta | 3 | Final | Box Score | Recap | |
CW Final Four - Gold (hosted by ALB) |