The Marauders took down the Nipissing Lakers in a close five-set game on Friday night in their first game of 2024. The teams kept the match close through the five sets, but ultimately, the Marauders came out on top.
Leading McMaster’s offense was Maxime Gratton with 21 kills and one service ace, while Brendan Mills put up 20 kill and three service aces. Setter Robbie Fujisawa played a strong game, making 56 assists and two service aces. Mills and libero Matthew Rugosi both made 12 digs in the set to hold down the Marauders’ defense.
McMaster took the early lead in North Bay, earning the first three points with kills from Mills and Brady Paterson. Despite this, the Lakers held their composure, responding with three points to tie the score. The teams seemed closely matched in this first set, exchanging points and errors. The Lakers went on a four-point streak mid set, forcing the first timeout of the game from McMaster. The Marauders managed to tie the score back up at the 19th point, closing in when it really matters. Nipissing looked confident on their home court, reaching set point first at 24-21. The Lakers managed to come out on top in set one, 25-21.
First year Paterson opened set two for McMaster with a kill, assisted by Fujisawa. The teams exchanged points back and forth, continuing to tie until the 14th point. The Marauders capitalized on the Laker’s errors, finding a small lead. They held onto this small lead with the help of kills from Gratton, Haben Yohannes, and Mills. A kill from Mills brought McMaster to set point, and the away team was able to finish on top in a close 25-23 match.
The Marauders fell into a groove, finding a quick 4-1 lead in the third set, causing a Nipissing timeout. Second year Jack Mackley made his first kill of the season, helping McMaster hold a lead. The Marauders went on a four-point run, including a kill from Jared Kuiken, and were able to double the Laker’s score, 12-6. McMaster held strong and were able to hold onto this lead for the rest of the set, closing out on another kill from first year Kuiken to leave the score at 25-21.
The Lakers were fighting to stay alive on their home court and showed it by taking the first five points of the fourth set. Mills responded for the Marauders with a service ace, but the away team struggled to generate consistent offense. Despite this, McMaster was strong on their serves in the set, with Gratton, Mackley, and Fujisawa all making aces as well. Ultimately, the home team pushed the game to five sets by winning the fourth set 25-22.
Continuing a strong offensive game, Mills brought the first kill to McMaster in the fifth set. The Marauders rolled with their offense and found a quick lead, scoring five points in a row, including an ace from Fujisawa. The away team didn’t back down and reached match point first. McMaster took the set 15-9 after two consecutive kills from Gratton.
Up Next
The Marauders rematch against the Nipissing Lakers tomorrow evening at 6pm in North Bay. They hope to improve their record to 7-2 and will look to find another win tomorrow.