Marauders Defeat Paladins on Friday Night in BHM Game

The Marauders swept the Paladins in a three-set game on Friday night in the Burridge. This game was the second Black History Month game, following the women’s game. The team also honored head coach Dave Preston at the start of the game because of his plan for retirement at the end of this season after 22 years with the McMaster program.  

On offense for the Marauders was Mateusz Wlodarski (Ottawa, Ont.) and Brendan Mills (London, Ont.) with seven kills each. Tyler Pavelic (Guelph, Ont.) had an impressive performance with four service aces and five kills. Robbie Fujisawa (North York, Ont.) made 22 assists and Matthew Rugosi (Etobicoke, Ont.) led in digs with nine. 

The first set started out strong for the Marauders with three consecutive points as they displayed their power. Despite this confident start, RMC held on and managed to match the Marauders until the 10th point. McMaster was able to generate offense through their outside hitters, with Maxime Gratton (Ottawa, Ont.) and Wlodarski each making four kills. The Marauders started to tear away with the lead and were looking comfortable on their home court as they closed the set 25-16.  

The Marauders came out strong in the second set, with Thomas Williams (Oakville, Ont.) making the Marauders’ first service ace early on. They looked confident on their home court, and showed depth in their offense, with kills coming from four different hitters. The Marauders were confident in the set, dominating the Paladins to finish the set 25-8. 

McMaster opened the third set with a kill from Haben Yohannes (Toronto, Ont.) which thrilled his teammates and the home crowd. The Marauders hoped to make this the final set of the game and this reflected in their play. They showed great depth in their team while maintaining their consistent performance, with a notable sub of first year Jack Mackley (North York, Ont.). The crowd erupted as Mackley made his first OUA kill and the Marauders maintained this momentum. Service aces from Yohannes, Thomas Williams (Oakville, Ont.) and three from Pavelic stunned the Paladins defense, as McMaster finished the game by winning the third set 25-6. 

Up Next 

The Marauders will rematch against the Paladins tomorrow night on their home court, as they hope to continue their undefeated streak. Tomorrow’s game will honor their graduating players since it’s their last regular season home game before going on the road.