Men’s volleyball hits the road for final contests of regular season

HAMILTON, Ont. – With the final weekend of the OUA regular season here, the No. 2 nationally-ranked Marauders are still the only undefeated team left standing, in Ontario and across the nation. The McMaster men’s volleyball team will face two tough competitors in the TMU Bold and Toronto Varsity Blues. The maroon and grey will make the trip to Toronto on Friday night before returning on Sunday afternoon.
 

 
The Marauders and Bold met early on this season in November. McMaster swept the TMU Bold in three sets in Toronto that day. 6’5″ outside hitter Sam Cooper (Hamilton, Ont.) led the team with eight kills and three service aces, while teammate Maxime Gratton (Ottawa, Ont.) had seven kills and two service aces. Setter Robbie Fujisawa (North York, Ont.) was consistent in supporting the offense with 25 assists and led the team with seven digs. Prior to that, the last meeting between these teams was during the 2019-2020 season. The Marauders earned another 3-0 sweep of the Bold that time around. TMU currently sits eighth in the conference standings with a 9-10 record. The Bold is coming off two losses at the hands of the Waterloo Warriors and Windsor Lancers and, with a post-season berth on the line, will look to close out the regular season with the upset.

McMaster and Toronto last matched-up in mid-January with the Marauders taking the contest 3-1. A game featuring two Top 10 teams, Mateusz Wlodarski (Ottawa, Ont.) led the Marauders in kills with 13, while Brendan Mills (London, Ont.) also had a great game with 10 kills. Setter Robbie Fujisawa (North York, Ont.) made 44 assists and 12 digs, along with getting one kill against the Varsity Blues. The Marauders and Varsity Blues also met twice during the 2022-23 pre-season, with each team earning a win. The maroon and grey own the series 20-2 and have won ten of the last eleven match-ups. The Varsity Blues sit in fourth spot in the OUA conference standings, just three spots back of the Marauders. Toronto is coming off a weekend split with the Nipissing Lakers and will look to add another win to their record this weekend.

McMaster continues to dominate this season, sitting at 18-0 in the conference standings. The Marauders remain the No. 2 team in the nation and will look to extend their record to a perfect 20-0 this season headed into the playoffs.
 

Last Time Out

The Marauders defeated the Lions last Saturday night in a four-set game in Toronto. Second year Brendan Mills (London, Ont.) led the Marauders with 16 kills and one service ace, while Maxime Gratton (Ottawa, Ont.) contributed 13 kills, two service aces and six digs. Robbie Fujisawa (North York, Ont.) was strong in supporting the offense with 45 assists and one service ace, and Matthew Rugosi (Etobicoke, Ont.) had a great performance on defense with eight digs. The first set started as a close match between the teams, with neither finding a lead larger than 2-points for most of the set. The Lions found the first significant lead of the game late in the set and carried it through to the end to win 25-20. After a tough first set, the Marauders came into the second set with newfound motivation, opening with four unanswered points. The Marauders held onto their lead and were able to win the set comfortably 25-16. The third set was a close match. York struggled with errors and McMaster used this to their advantage, ultimately winning the set 25-19. The fourth set was a similar match to the third, with McMaster taking a small lead early en route to a 25-16 set win for the Marauders.  
 

Players to Watch

TMU Bold
 
#19 Jacob Walker, 2nd Year (Elig.), Outside Hitter

• Has 24 service aces on the season
• Averages 3.60 kills per set (5th best in the OUA)
• Records 1.37 digs per set

McMaster Marauders
 
#10 Tyler Pavelic, 4th Year (Elig.), Middle Blocker

• Ranks fifth in the conference, averaging 0.75 blocks per set
• Records 0.41 service aces per set (5th in the OUA)
• Sits seventh in the conference in total blocks (46)

Toronto Varsity Blues
 
#7 Evan Falardeau, 4th Year (Elig.), Outside Hitter

• Leads the conference in total kills (330)
• Averages 4.23 kills per set (3rd in the OUA)
• Has recorded 371 points this season

Friday’s Game Coverage

Watch Live: https://oua.yaretv.com/

Twitter: @McMasterSports

Instagram: @mcmastermvb

Sunday’s Game Coverage

Watch Live: https://oua.yaretv.com/

Twitter: @McMasterSports

Instagram: @mcmastermvb 
 

??GAME OF THE WEEK??

McMaster Marauders @ Toronto Varsity Blues

??MATCH DE LA SEMAINE ??@McMasterSports @ @Varsity_Blues
#ChaseTheGlory | #ViserHaut pic.twitter.com/nWhkV6ZKGY

— U SPORTS Volleyball (@USPORTS_VBall) February 16, 2023

For the latest news and updates on the McMaster Marauders, follow @mcmastersports on social media or visit www.marauders.ca.