HAMILTON, Ont. – The Mustangs fell to the OUA West leading McMaster Marauders on Saturday at the Burridge Gymnasium, falling in three sets (22-25, 20-25, 11-25).
 
The loss moves the purple and white record to 12-5, but has no implications on the team's standing in the OUA West. Western has the second spot locked up, while McMaster continues to sit atop the rankings in first with a 16-2 record.

Saturday's matchup also served as the unveiling and renaming ceremony for the trophy awarded to the women's volleyball OUA Champion. The trophy has been without a name since it's inception, but will henceforth be known as the Quigley Cup - in honour of Terese Quigley.

Quigley was a highly decorated student and All-Canadian at Western throughout her undergraduate degree, eventually moving on to coaching positions at Albert and McMaster. Her foray into athletic administration began while at McMaster, where she was named head of women's athletics. From 1990 to 2008 Quigley served as McMaster's Athletic Director to make her the first woman in Ontario to hold the position and quickly established a reputation as an innovator within university sport. She would also serve as Western's Athletic Director for eight seasons before deciding to retire, during which time she spearheaded several campaigns to increase recognition and support for student athletes.



 

Aja Gyimah led the Mustangs offence, generating 10.5 points for Western. Carly Kimmett and Melissa Langegger were close behind, with 10.0 and nine points apiece.
 
A 12-point performance from Rachel Woock led McMaster, and Aleks Arsovic followed with 11 points.
 
Both teams went with modified lineup to start off the first, with Jessica Lam, Kristina Curcin, and Kimmett all appearing on the floor. The trio has had plenty of court time in the past, but typically appear later on in the match.
 
Similarly, McMaster moved Brenna Peacock into the starting rotation, while veteran and OUA All-Star Maicee Sorensen was out of the lineup for Saturday's contest.
 
The switch up proved to be beneficial for the Mustangs, as Kimmett was the greatest offensive threat on the court. She had the most success in finding the open floor, as well as avoiding the Marauder block.
 
McMaster's blockers were more effective in theory than practice, as they forced the Mustangs to hit outside the court in an attempt to avoid being shut down. The Marauders would end the set with one of the few successful blocks of the game, capping off a five point run to bring the score to 25-22.
 
Set two saw the score remain tight throughout the entirety of the set, with the Marauders continuing to capitalize on blocking, and strong backcourt performances from Carly Heath and Jill Eisenhauer. 
 
Meanwhile, the Mustangs relied on Aja Gyimah and Courtney Sestric. Both players served as a stabilizing force of sorts for Western, taking control in different areas of the game to insure well-rounded play. Sestric's leadership in the backcourt allowed the Mustangs to start strong, while Gyimah was the go-to offensive option for difficult sets.
 
McMaster started to pull away as they neared the 20-point mark, with the Mustangs making an increasing number of attack errors. An ace from Peacock brought an end to the set, giving the Marauders a 25-20 victory.
 
Peacock continued to play a large role in the third set, serving seven straight to give the Marauders an early lead.
 
The purple and white serve receive hit a low point in the third set, allowing several aces from the Marauders. Peacock opened the set with two in her serving streak, which would be matched by back-to-back aces by Woock a few points later.
 
Hailey Kranics and Woock would each add another before the end of the set, while Langegger was the only Mustang to do the same.
 
Technical calls plagued the Mustangs throughout the entirety of the set, as they got called on the net, for bad sets, and for being out of rotation. With momentum poised against them, the Mustangs struggled to close the gap on the scoreboard.
 
The set came to an end with the 14-point difference still intact, as the Marauders would take a 25-11 win.
 
Western returns to the court next weekend, for the final regular season games of the year. The Mustangs will welcome Guelph and Waterloo to Alumni Hall, with the match against the Warriors also serving as the team's annual Senior Day game, with the Mustangs graduating players set to be honoured before the first serve is sent out. Game time for both matchups is set for 6 p.m. on Friday and Saturday night.