HAMILTON, Ont. (January 15, 2016) – After taking the first set on the road, the No.8 Gaels (8-3) fell in a three consecutive set comeback to the undefeated No.1 McMaster Marauders on Friday night. The final score was 3-1 (25-27, 25-21, 25-16, 28-26) as the Marauders kept their record untarnished at 12-0.

GAME FLOW
Queen's set the bar high in the first, more than doubling the Marauders efficiency and fighting through the last points of the set to win it 27-25. McMaster responded immediately in the second as the Gaels fell back on their heels, committing eight attacking errors to their six kills. Queen's scrambled to recover as McMaster smacked down 17 kills in the set and tied the match 1-1 with a score of 25-21.

In the third frame the CIS leaders continued to dominate, eliminating Queen's momentum completely as they only managed to put 16 points on the board. The Gaels regained their footing in the fourth, keeping close behind the Marauders late in the set. Despite climbing back into the set and forcing extra points, the Gaels dropped the final set 28-26 against the hosts.

Mike Tomlinson (Stratford, Ont.) headed the Gaels offense with 14 kills, also scoring a service ace in the match. He was supported by Marko Dakic (Mississauga, Ont.) who chalked up 12 kills, seven digs and two aces.

McMaster had a big night from Stephen Maar who contributed a standout 25 kills to their win, also picking up eight digs defensively.

BY THE NUMBERS
0.475 – Stephen Maar's kill percentage off his 25 kills for the Marauders.  
2 – Aces a piece by Marko Dakic and Scott Brunet for Queen's.
3 – McMaster loses just its third set in its undefeated season to the Gaels.

UP NEXT
The Gaels will be back in action next weekend when they host the York Lions and the Nipissing Lakers in the ARC Main Gym. The game against York is scheduled for January 22 at 8:00 pm.