Marauders Fall in Hard Fought Five-Set Game Against Lions

The McMaster Marauders showed resilience in their tough five-set loss against the York Lions on Saturday night in Toronto.  

Leading the Marauders’ offense was third year outside hitter Brendan Mills with 18 kills, while Maxime Gratton made eight. Supporting the offense was captain and setter Robbie Fujisawa with 30 assists and 12 digs, while Tyler Pavelic had a staggering five service aces. 

The first set was a close match for the teams, with neither one able to find a substantial lead for the entire set. Mid-set, the Marauders were able to find themselves small leads, but York was quick to close any gap on the scoreboard. Mills lead the McMaster offense with four kills, while Pavelic and Gratton both held 1.000 kill percentages. The teams continued to match each other to the 21st point, but ultimately York edged out McMaster 25-22. 

The second set was yet another close one, with McMaster holding a small two-point lead throughout most of the game. Gratton came out with a huge kill early on as well as a service ace to bring the score to 11-8 for McMaster. The away team started to distance themselves on the scoreboard, settling into their offense, and McMaster was able to finish the set on top, 25-20. 

The Lions came out firing in the third set, finding themselves a quick 5-point lead, causing McMaster to call a timeout. Even after the break, York was able to continue their lead to 8-1, until the Marauders were able to get some points back with the help of a kill from Mills. McMaster continued to struggle with generating consistent offense, allowing York to hold a 10-point lead mid-set. York was able to keep their dominant lead and finish the set 25-12, bringing themselves to a 2-1 lead in the game. 

After a difficult third set, the Marauders came out with momentum in the fourth set, finding themselves a comfortable lead. McMaster had kills from Mills, Gratton, and Brady Paterson in the first half of the set, aiding them to a 10-point lead. Pavelic was dominant on his serves, showing an impressive performance of three consecutive service aces mid-set. Setter Fujisawa made a clever dump to earn a kill and the Marauders’ 23rd point, helping them to a 25-12 set win.  

Coming off the previous two sets with the teams trading identical scores, they continued to challenge each other in this competitive match. York was able to get a quick start, holding onto a small lead. However, four consecutive points from McMaster, including a kill from Paterson that tied the score back up at 6-6, forced a York timeout. The teams continued to tie up until the 13th point, with both sides using both their timeouts in this final set. Despite their best efforts, the Marauders came up just short as York was able to best them 15-13 in the fifth. 

Up Next 

The Marauders will now look forward to playing the Windsor Lancers on Nov. 17th in Windsor.