Hamilton, ON- This seniors night felt different. McMaster Marauders libero Christina Stratford celebrated her seniors night in the past but it didn’t feel like the real one. She knew was going to come back.
This time, Stratford knows it’s the end. The feeling hasn’t totally hit her yet. She knows her team is hosting nationals. She knows this was indeed her final seniors night on Feb. 9 as the Marauders honoured their seniors before taking on the Waterloo Warriors. “A cool moment,” she called it.
The team room was decorated with balloons and streamers. “Enjoy this moment,” Marauders head coach Nathan Janzen told the seniors before the game, middle Ellie Hatashita recalled. She felt all the love and support from her teammates. All the excitement as well.
The five of them have all had their seniors nights before. There was transfers Lauryn Colpitts (Queen’s) and Jenna Woock (Toronto) who celebrated their seniors nights with her previous teams. There was Paige Entwistle, the longest-tenured Marauders player, who’s been with the team since 2018.
Then there was Stratford and Hatashita, the two who came into McMaster together in 2019 – and will leave together as well.
Watch Stratford and Hatashita and you can’t miss their impact. They’re leading with their actions and words. They’re contributing during on the court, on the bench and everywhere else.
If you see the box score, you’ll see Hatashita had four kills, four digs and two blocks in their five-set win over Waterloo. Stratford had four assists and a game-high 21 digs. Can you see beyond the stat sheet though?
They – alongside the other veterans – are helping with match preparation and game planning, according to Janzen. They’re showing up to practice ready to work and help the younger players and the team get better.
“The work’s getting done every single day and a lot of our leaders are doing that work,” Janzen added.
Leaders. They’ve become leaders over the past five years. They’ve put in the work to do so.
When Hatashita came into the program, she tried to soak up everything she could from her teammates. They pushed her but also gave her space to grow on her own.
So, as she got older, she wanted to be a good role model for them. She tries to be as positive and supportive as possible.
Janzen’s noticed how much work and care she puts in with all the injuries she’s managing. She does so to make sure she can play come game day. When she does so, she sets an example for the younger players of how important it is.
Back in her first year, she didn’t play that much so when she did, she was always nervous about making a mistake and getting subbed off.
Over time, Hatashita realized she can’t control anything else except what she does in those moments. Try my best, she tells herself. “If I try my best and I fail, then there’s nothing more I can do,” she said. Hatashita tries to reset after every point.
She’s not a naturally vocal person so she tried to lead by example. However, her coaches kept challenging her to be more vocal and go outside her comfort zone. It was challenging but she learned to do so.
Nothing’s personal, she would remind herself when she gave that feedback. It’s still challenging but Hatashita realized she had to put her personal feelings aside and give that feedback or have those difficult conversations for the greater good. It’s so the players and the team can get better. Hatashita said she’s gotten more confident in her leadership abilities.
Janzen described her as someone who’s super fun to be around, is chill and loves to travel. He’s seen the impact her time at McMaster has had on her – and vice versa.
“It’s a place where she’s made this huge impact on her team and left this amazing legacy for her group,” he noted. “I’m not sure she was ready for that when she first got here.”
Stratford came in as a defensive specialist. She came in as a role player who worked her way into being the starting setter to now coming full circle as a libero this year, Janzen points out. She does so with a coach’s eye – being a club volleyball coach as well.
“She sees everything,” fellow libero Hayley Brookes noted. She’ll see the different adjustments and details happening – either when she’s on the bench or on the court. She’ll point that out to her teammates – being such a vocal person. She and Brookes are always honest with each other. Brookes finds that really helpful.
Back in 2019, Stratford didn’t know what was going to happen with her career. Let’s kind of see where it goes, she told herself. The mindset stuck. She took on setting and then coaching, diving more into analysis.
When Stratford and her teammates returned to play in 2021 after the previous season was cancelled, she took on more of a leadership role. She was part of the leadership team.
Now, she finds herself in lots of different situations where she’s doing things she wouldn’t have in her first year. Like when Janzen tells her to run one of the three courts during practice. “She’ll play and she’ll coach and she’ll make a difference in people’s development,” Janzen said.
She looked up to her teammates Jessie Nairn, Maddie Lethbridge and others. Nairn mentored her during her first couple of seasons. She learned from Nairn how to have hard conversations at times and how to be a calm voice in a super chaotic moment.
Nairn remembers the first time she met Hatashita and Stratford. She was an OUA All-Star coming into her fourth season with the Marauders.
She knew from the moment they first walked through the door they were going to be a big part of the team for the rest of their careers. She saw the instant impact they made – Hatashita as a middle and Stratford in a variety of roles.
They came in shy, not saying much – not uncommon for first years. However, they gained their teammates’ trust by working hard and building relationships.
In Nairn’s last year in 2021-22, she was on the leadership team with them. She tried to guide them. They took her advice and ran with it.
“Learning to lead well is learning to gain the trust of the people that are around you,” Nairn recalls sharing with them. “You can’t lead a team unless every single one of your teammates believe in you and trust that you have their best interests in mind.”
Nairn – now an assistant coach with the team – has seen them gain the trust and respect of all their teammates. They’re there for them when they’re going through personal struggles. They’re bringing the same level of competitiveness and accountability to every practice and game.
That trust makes it easier for them to speak up louder with more confidence. “Both of them have done the work to do that,” Nairn said.
On their final senior’s night, Nairn felt honoured to both play with them and now coach them. “I think they both deserve a lot of like celebration and a lot of respect for what they’ve been able to do with this team,” she said.
Stratford and Hatashita had each other’s trust and support over the years. They’re the only ones remaining from their recruiting class. They’ve been through the highs and lows together. They’ve lived together and gotten to really know each other. Hatashita finds they have a special bond.
Stratford helps Hatashita stay level-headed and pushes her to be better. When she finds herself getting angry from a bad call during a game, she’ll hear Stratford’s voice.
“Hey, stop it,” Stratford tells her. “We don’t have time to complain right now. It’s over. Move onto the next point.”
“You’re right,” Hatashita replied. “I have to move on.”
Hatashita will remind Stratford of the same. Stratford feels her calmness in those moments.
They’ve supported each other in the tough moments – including not making playoffs in their first year and losing in the quarterfinals the past two years. They have each other’s backs, Stratford pointed out.
They can tell when the other is struggling and knows what to say to help them move on. They can reflect on past moments and memories. They’ve been through it all together.
“It’s definitely a pretty cool relationship to have and one that I’m grateful for,” Stratford said.
As their seniors night concluded, they reflected on those memories. Hatashita tries to enjoy every moment she has with the team.
They know roughly when and where their final games will be – in the Burridge Gym on Mar. 16 or 17. Stratford knows the opportunity they have with hosting nationals. She knows it’s her last season.
However, she tries to treat it like any other season. She wants to play her best – regardless of her role or position. “If I get caught up in the moment, I’m going to lose sight of kind of what I need to do,” she noted. “So, there’s always that drive there behind me.”
However, for that evening, she was able to take in the moment. She was able to feel the support from her coaches, teammates and family. Stratford was able to share it with Hatashita – who she’s been with every step of the way.
Featured Image: Kevin Lassel/McMaster Athletics