Marauders Defeat Lakers in a Tight Four Set Game

The Marauders defeated the Lakers on Saturday night in a four-set game to carry on their undefeated record.  

On offense, Mateusz Wlodarski (Ottawa, Ont.) led the team with an impressive 11 kills and one service ace. Thomas Williams (Oakville, Ont.) and Maxime Gratton (Ottawa, Ont.) supported the attack, each with eight kills. Setter Robbie Fujisawa (North York, Ont.) was integral to the offense, making 36 assists in the game.  

The game started out with a close first set. The Marauders struggled to find their groove on their home court and Nipissing was able to use that to their advantage. McMaster had trouble with their errors, while the Lakers looked strong on their defense as they began to take the lead. The Marauders remained composed and started to generate more offense. Williams had a strong set with an impressive seven kills, leading the Marauder attack. Fujisawa made 10 assists to support, and after a close fought match, the Marauders came out on top to win 25-23.  

After a close first set, the Marauders brought a new intensity to their offense in the second set. Outside hitter Gratton made some powerful plays to get four kills as the Marauders gained the lead. Both teams continued to struggle with their errors. On defense, Benjamin Kerkhoff (London, Ont.) had a strong game, consistently making smart calls on Lakers’ serves that were long. The Marauders were able to hold onto their lead and finished the set 25-19.  

The third set was another close game, as the teams exchanged points back and forth. Mid set, a big block from Gratton and Tyler Pavelic (Guelph, Ont.) made the home crowd erupt. Despite some powerful displays on both offense and defense from McMaster, the Lakers were able to gain a small lead, causing the home team to use a timeout. Regaining composure, the Marauders were able to tie the game up at 10-10, but Nipissing proved themselves to be tough competition and continued to challenge McMaster. The teams tied up until the nineteenth point with Wlodarski leading the Marauder offense with five kills. Nipissing reached the set point first and were able to finish the set 25-21 to take the game to a fourth set. 

In the fourth set, the match continued to be close between the two teams. McMaster seemed frustrated but were able to keep their composure under pressure to hold onto the lead. An ace from Pavelic mid set gave life to the Marauder bench but the Lakers didn’t appear shaken. The Lakers were chasing the Marauders for the entire set but were able to close the gap and tied the game at 19-19. McMaster held on to gain more points, with Brendan Mills (London, Ont.) leading the team with three kills in the set. Ultimately, McMaster was strong at the end of the set and was able to finish on top with a score of 25-20 to finish the game.  

Up Next 

The Marauders will play the Queen’s Gaels at home on Friday night in their last weekend before the winter break. The Marauders extend their win streak to nine and look to continue their winning ways.