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Marauders senior girls crowned as city champions

Oct 26, 2011 | 4:41 PM

The St. Mary Marauders senior girls volleyball team saw their two-set lead vanish in the City Finals against the Carlton Crusaders and needed a gutsy performance in the fifth and final set to clinch their victory.

The Marauders shocked hosting Crusaders in their own gym by winning the first two sets, 25-23, 25-18 from what St. Mary head coach Shaun Hunko said was mostly due to excellent passing and team defence.

But in sets three and four, Hunko admitted the team’s passing broke down and the Crusaders stormed back into the game.

“You could sense the momentum shift the other way,” said Hunko. “We just talked about how well we played the first two sets and wanting to get back to that level of play. We didn’t want to give up this game after how well we started.”

The Marauders won the fifth set thanks to some clutch and streaky serving from Brianne Murray and Chelsa Aistine, who went on streaks on five and four points on their serves respectively.

Throughout the match, Hunko highlighted Lauren Glynn as a big key to the Marauders’ win, making being a force near the net and having a pile of kills.

With the City Championship win under their belts, the Marauders will head into the Regionals Nov. 11-12 with a ton of confidence.

“It’s a huge win for us,” said Hunko. “All year, we’ve had trouble staying healthy and this is the first time we’ve had everybody. Hopefully we can continue to stay healthy for the regionals and keep the momentum.”

Seven teams from around the region will be at the tournament, which will be hosted by Carlton.

jdandrea@panow.com