The Burridge was packed on Friday night as the Marauders won in a tough four set battle against the Lakers.
Mateusz Wlodarski (Ottawa, Ont.) led the Marauder offense with nine kills and one service ace. Alongside him were teammates Thomas Williams (Oakville, Ont.) and Wojciech Kraj (Gliwice, Poland), who each had eight and six kills respectively. Robbie Fujisawa (North York, Ont.) helped the offense with a kill and 25 assists and led on defense with 11 digs.
The Marauders started out the game on a high note, with an early service ace from Tyler Pavelic (Guelph, Ont.). McMaster began the set confident and composed, only allowing the Lakers one point in the first nine points of the game. Despite a strong start, mid set the Marauders struggled to respond to the Lakers’ serves as Nipissing gained momentum with four unanswered points. Setter Fujisawa made a strong challenge at the net, gaining the Marauders a point and igniting the home crowd. On offense, Williams had a strong set, leading the Marauders with four kills and one service ace. Ultimately, the Marauders were able to finish the set on top with a score of 25-19.
After a close first match, Nipissing brought the intensity into the second set. The Lakers made strong kills and took a small lead as the Marauders struggled to respond. McMaster held on and came back with some big blocks to gain momentum and an ace from Pavelic pushed Nipissing to use their timeout. The Marauders started to take the lead and seemed to fall into their groove, with Williams leading the offense with three kills. Frustration built as McMaster struggled with their errors throughout the set but were still able to secure the win, finishing the set at 25-18.
Pressure was high in the Burridge as the Marauders entered the third set. Nipissing opened the set with four unanswered points, forcing the Marauders into a timeout. They continued to lead as the Marauders struggled to generate consistent offense and continued to struggle with their errors. Despite this, McMaster kept the score close. A massive kill from Maxime Gratton (Ottawa, Ont.) after an intense rally late in the set brought life to the Burridge, as McMaster fought to stay in the game. Nipissing reached the set point first and were able to finish the set on an ace, as the Marauders fell 25-20.
The Lakers carried their momentum into the fourth set, and the Marauders fought to match their offense. The teams continued to tie up until 5-5, when the Marauders started to gain a small lead. Wlodarski led the Marauders in the set with five kills, but McMaster couldn’t distance themselves too far as the Lakers fought to stay in the game. Peter Rugosi (Toronto, Ont.) made a staggering service ace late in the set, firing up the Marauder bench. Ultimately, the Marauders came out on top after a hard fought battle and finished the set 25-19.
Up Next
The Marauders will now look forward to rematching against the Lakers tomorrow at 6pm at home. They remain undefeated as they add a seventh win to their streak.