Hamilton, ON- Maddy Lutes didn’t forget that feeling. How could she after how much that hurt? After how heartbreaking that was.
Almost a year ago today, Lutes and her McMaster Marauders women’s volleyball teammates and coaches watched the York Lions celebrate their OUA quarterfinal victory in five sets. Lutes watched her team’s season come to an end.
The third-year outside hitter had left everything on the Burridge Gym court that night. So, to have that outcome after giving as much as she gave…
“It’s heartbreaking,” Lutes said. The defeat – and the feeling of it – weighed heavily on her for a long time. Next year, I’m not letting this happen ever again, Lutes told herself. I don’t want to feel this way ever.
Almost a year later, Lutes and her teammates were in the same position again. At the Burridge Gym again. In the OUA quarterfinals again – this time against the Guelph Gryphons on Feb. 24.
This time, Lutes and her teammates knew what to do to avoid that same feeling.
The theme in practice for the Marauders this week was “lock in.” For Lutes, that meant controlling what they could control. That meant playing with composure and intensity. That meant being on the same page.
For her, that meant starting with the fundamentals – good coverage, serving with intent, good serve-receive. Once they locked in on those details, then they could make the cool swings and blocks that would bring the crowd to its feet.
As the Marauders built up their lead to a 25-6 first set victory followed by a second and third set victory as well, Lutes felt her and her teammates locking in. She knows how long it’s taken them to get there.
Do you remember that feeling from last year? Lutes remembers it vividly. She remembers the little things she could have done differently. The things she’s learned from. The things that will make a difference now.
It has helped her grow – helping her be more composed, be there for her teammates and give her 110 per cent.
She also felt more nerves than usual going into the Guelph game because of it. She felt it throughout the first set.
Lutes tried to push back those feelings from last year – those feelings of stress. I have to do that, she would think. I have to do this. She pushed that aside. She knew her and all her teammates needed to be locked in.
She was prepared to do whatever she could to contribute and do so.
Even at times against Guelph when she would miss a swing or a serve, she would self-reflect. That’s not what’s defining me at this moment, she told herself. This game is not last year’s quarterfinals.
When Lutes locked in against the Gryphons, she felt totally calm. She was doing things with intention but also playing loose and having fun. She felt her teammates talking, communicating, moving and playing loose as well.
Leading up to the game, she knew how every touch, every play was important. She felt that during the match as well. Everything was done meticulously – with intent. They nailed their fundamentals.
Locking in also meant doing so mentally. Before the game, her and her teammates talked about staying in the moment. They talked about not looking back, only looking forward. Lutes found her nerves go away as the game went along – the thoughts of last year leaving her head.
She found her desire to win overcoming everything else.
Olivia Julien felt the heartbreak last year as well. She had already committed to the Marauders. She was watching the playoff game from her home.
As the first-year outside hitter prepared for her first university playoff game, she knew how much it meant to her teammates who were there last year. She knew how badly they wanted to win. She knew what she had to do.
I’m here for a reason, Julien would think. I have to also step up to get us past this round.
That meant locking in and getting into the right frame of mind. She was super nervous – as anyone would be for their first playoff game. She found herself getting in her groove and her zone as the game started.
To get there, Julien followed her game day routine. She tries not to think too much about volleyball the day of the game. She won’t watch film. She’ll do some schoolwork and spent time with friends. She’ll go with the other rookies to get a smoothie together.
She’ll listen to pregame hype music in her room before she leaves for the game. The last song is always Hotel California. The song that reminds her of home. The song that her dad really likes. Hearing the song calms her down. She’s reminded of those who love her and will support her no matter what.
Once she starts warming up, then she’ll start focusing on the details. She’ll follow her pregame routine.
As the game started, Julien got into her zone. She was racking up kills and making plays. She finished with a game-high 12 kills and 14 points. She felt them locking in – being super disciplined, playing freely and holding each other accountable.
She felt her resiliency. She tries to keep things lighthearted. It’s not a big deal if I mess up, she’ll tell herself. She’ll feel support from her teammates, who helped her keep things lighthearted as well.
After the game, she and her teammates were celebrating the victory they so badly wanted. She did what she needed to do to help make that moment happen.
Nathan Janzen was watching from the sidelines when the Marauders lost to York last year. He was an assistant coach back then. Janzen felt anger and frustration, the feeling of a lost opportunity – the same thing the players were feeling, he pointed out.
This year, as a first-time OUA head coach, he saw all the experience around him. There was Jenna Woock and Lauryn Colpitts – who have played in big playoff moments before on their previous schools. There were all the returning players from last year.
He saw them recall that York experience. How they weren’t mentally prepared for how hard York would play – until it was almost too late in the fifth set. They had beaten the Lions twice in the regular season that year. They have beaten the Gryphons twice in the regular season this year.
This time, the players talked about how hard Guelph would come out playing really really well – and how they had to do the same. They took care of the details they’ve trained and talked about. Janzen recalls them making three or four digs in the first set they specifically worked on to prepare for Guelph.
The head coach saw them practising with that attention to detail in practice. He could tell they were playing with a purpose. They were doing so with intention. He could see how much the players wanted to win. They hadn’t reached the OUA semi-finals since 2018. The players knew that.
He knew that as well. As game-time approached, Janzen felt the nerves just like Lutes and Julien did. He’s nervous before every game but this one especially. “I was very nervous,” he said.
Those nerves came from a sense of responsibility in being the head coach. He didn’t want to let people down – all those who have shown faith in him and provided him the opportunity.
Is that feeling fair on himself? Probably not, Janzen admits – but he feels it. With that feeling, he wants to make sure he and his team put their best foot forward. They did so against Guelph – preparing in a way they hadn’t against York.
Those nerves inside him went away when the game started. “The best part of every week,” he called it. Once the first point happens, it becomes just about coaching for him. Pure coaching.
“Not thinking about anything else but winning a volleyball game,” he said. “It’s the best part.”
The Marauders entered the locker room afterwards to cheers with a quarter-final victory under their belt. For the returning players, it’s the first time they’ve been to an OUA semi-finals. Lutes was happy to win the game. She was proud of her team for doing so.
Heartbreak? No. This was a completely different feeling.
Janzen also saw how happy the players were afterwards. He knew much the victory meant to fifth-year veterans Christina Stratford and Ellie Hatashita in particular. The two of them came into McMaster together in 2019. They missed the playoffs in 2020. They missed a season in 2021. They lost in the quarterfinals in 2022 and 2023.
He saw how driven they were during the week to prepare for this game. How they performed during the game. Hatashita had seven kills and eight digs. Stratford provided her defensive presence, rotating with Hayley Brookes as liberos.
Now they were celebrating their first playoff victory – five years in the making. “It was a really really important day for them,” Janzen said.
He saw their smiles in the team room after the win. He and assistant coach Larissa Byckalo both saw how excited and fired up Hatashita, Stratford and their teammates were.
How much joy they had as well.
Featured Image: Muad Issa/McMaster Athletics