Marauders Defeat Blues in 5-Set Home Opener

The Marauders picked up their first win of the season in their home opener on Saturday afternoon against the Toronto Varsity Blues. It was a hard fought five-set game but ultimately the Marauders came out on top.  

Leading the Marauder offense was Brendan Mills with a staggering 19 kills and one service ace, while Maxime Gratton had five service aces. Alongside him was setter Robbie Fujisawa, who had a strong game with 38 assists and 10 digs. On defense, Matthew Rugosi led the team in digs with 12. The Marauders also had a new addition to their starting line; Brady Paterson, a first year outside hitter from Camrose, Alberta.  

The Blues came into the game strong, putting up the first three points of the game. Their momentum was slowed by a huge kill from Haben Yohannes, but despite their best efforts, the Marauders continued to trail. McMaster was forced to call a timeout at Toronto’s 4-9 lead and came back strong with an ace from Mills. McMaster started to close in on the Blues’ lead, putting up points including an ace from Yohannes, as he led the Marauders in the set with five points. The Marauders still trailed by a few points, leading them to call another timeout at 19-22 for Toronto to organize their game plan. Despite this, the set resulted in a score of 25-19 for Toronto.  

The Marauders came out firing in the second set, putting up the first two points of the set. The teams continued to exchange points back and forth, keeping the score close. Mid-set Gratton came out with a huge service ace, making Toronto take a time out, only to return to play with two more aces from Gratton. Late in the set, three consecutive points from the Blues pushed McMaster to call a timeout while they held onto a 22-19 lead. Fujisawa made a perfect set to Yohannes to earn the kill for the set point, and McMaster was able to hold on to win the set 25-21. 

Going into the third set with the teams tied for sets, the Marauders were looking to find a lead. McMaster was strong on their defense, with Tyler Pavelic and Gratton making a huge block early in the set, and Fujisawa coming in with an impressive dig. The Marauders found the early lead and continued to distance themselves on the scoreboard. Gratton was able to get another service ace by the Blues, and first year Paterson made a huge kill to extend McMaster’s lead. Another huge kill from Paterson near the end of the set lit up the home crowd, as McMaster was able to win the third set 25-19. 

The fourth set started out close, but the Marauders struggled with their errors. The home team trailed most of the set, struggling to generate consistent offense. Mills made a huge kill to bring the Marauders to 11-22, but Toronto held onto their strong lead. First year Jared Kuiken was rotated into the lineup and made his first OUA-career service ace, but the Marauders weren’t able to hold off the Blues as the visitors took the set 25-15. 

The fifth set was a close competition, as the teams continued to match each other. An ace by Gratton followed by a huge kill by Mills made the home crowd roar. Ben Kerkoff made a huge dig which ended with a kill from Paterson, putting the Marauders up 7-5. McMaster continued strong on their offense, holding onto their lead to finish the set on top with a score of 15-12. 

Up Next 

The Marauders will now look forward to facing off against the Waterloo Warriors next Friday in the Burridge.