Marauders’ Brady Paterson named OUA Rookie of the Year; seven McMaster athletes receive conference accolades

BURLINGTON, Ont. – McMaster men’s volleyball’s Brady Paterson was named the OUA Rookie of the Year for the 2023-24 season as well as a member of the All-Rookie Team along with fellow first year, Jared Kuiken. Maxime Gratton, Brendan Mills and Robbie Fujisawa received OUA First Team All-Star honours while Tyler Pavelic and Ben Kerkhoff were named Second Team All-Stars. The OUA announced the conference’s major award winners and All-Stars on Tuesday.
 
 
Brady Paterson – OUA Rookie of the Year & OUA All-Rookie Team
Social Sciences
Baden, Ont.
 
A Baden, Ont. local, Brady Paterson helped McMaster men’s volleyball finish the regular season at the top of the standings with a 16-4 record and earned 2024 OUA Rookie of the Year and OUA All-Rookie Team honours for his impressive rookie campaign.
 
The first-year Social Sciences student averaged 1.81 kills per set with 121 total kills in his first season with the Marauders. The rookie outside hitter also finished the season with nine service aces, 23 blocks, 27 assists and 63 digs.
 
Paterson recorded a season high 12 kills on January 13^th against Western while contributing 27 points to the Marauders’ victories that weekend. He totaled more than 10 kills in both games against the Mustangs.
 
The rookie outside hitter is a key part of the McMaster offence and is the 8^th Marauder to claim OUA Rookie of the Year honours.
 

 
Maxime Gratton – OUA First Team All-Star
Social Psychology
Ottawa, Ont.
 
Maxime Gratton, a third year outside hitter earned his first nod as an OUA First Team All-Star this season. The Ottawa local ranked second in the conference in service aces per set (0.54), total service aces (40) and hitting percentage (.365) throughout the regular season.
 
He also was in the Top 10 in total kills (242), kills per set (3.27), solo blocks (16) and points per set (4.1). Gratton is one of the top attackers in the OUA and is a threat from anywhere on the court. He also contributed 21 assists and 89 digs through 20 regular season matches.
 
The Social Psychology student recorded a season high 26 kills and 28 points against Western on January 12th in Burridge Gymnasium and will look to continue his impressive season in the Marauders’ playoff run.
 

 
Brendan Mills – OUA First Team All-Star
Environment & Society
London, Ont.
 
A 6’7″ outside hitter for the Marauders, Brendan Mills was named an OUA All-Star for the first time in his career. He ranked second in the province in total kills with 281 while averaging 3.85 kills per set on 554 total attacks. Mills recorded a .292 hitting percentage throughout his 20 matches, ranking him sixth in the OUA in that category. He recorded a season high 23 kills at Windsor while contributing 28 points.  
 
At the service line, the London local tallied 24 service aces to average 0.33 service aces per set, seventh and eighth best in the conference, respectively.
 
The Environment & Society student closed out the regular season with 12 assists, 38 blocks and 95 digs.
 

Robbie Fujisawa – OUA First Team All-Star
Kinesiology
North York, Ont.
 
A veteran setter, Robbie Fujisawa had been named an OUA First Team All-Star for the first time in his career. He ranked first across the province in total assists with 707, averaging 9.43 assists per set.
 
The North York local totaled 150 digs throughout the regular season, the third highest total in the OUA.
 
A fourth year Kinesiology student, Fujisawa also contributed 15 blocks including ten solo, ten service aces and nine kills throughout 20 matches.
 

Tyler Pavelic – OUA Second Team All-Star
Economics
Oakville, Ont.
 
Tyler Pavelic, a fifth-year middle has earned his second straight nod as an OUA Second Team All-Star. He had 19 solo blocks over the course of the regular season, ranking him fourth in the conference.
 
The Oakville local recorded a .394 hitting percentage for an average of 1.38 kills per set. He ended the regular season with 72 kills, 38 blocks, 29 digs and 17 service aces.
 
An Economics major in his final year of eligibility, Pavelic had a season high 10 kills and five blocks in Windsor.
 

Ben Kerkhoff – OUA Second Team All-Star
Biology & Environmental Sciences
London, Ont.
 
A veteran libero, Ben Kerkhoff earned his second straight nod as an OUA Second Team All-Star. He recorded 364 receptions, ranking him in the Top 10 across all OUA competitors.
 
The London local contributed 48 digs, seven assists and six total attacks throughout the 2023-24 regular season.
 

Jared Kuiken – OUA All-Rookie Team
Social Sciences
London, Ont.
 
Jared Kuiken, a first-year middle, played in 13 games for the Marauders in his rookie campaign. He had 42 kills on 84 attacks for a .381 percentage. His season high was against Western where he recorded eight kills and 13 points.
 
The London local closed out his season with four assists, five service aces, 19 digs and an impressive 30 blocks.
 

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