The McMaster Marauders defeated the Waterloo Warriors in three sets on Friday night in the Burridge.
Leading the Marauders’ offense was Brendan Mills with eight kills, while Maxime Gratton put up seven kills and two service aces. Setter Robbie Fujisawa supported the offense with 22 assists, while Matthew Rugosi led the defense with six digs.
The Warriors struggled with their errors early in the game, allowing the Marauders to capitalize. Gratton made two huge consecutive aces that lit up the home crowd, bringing the score to 6-3 McMaster. Back-to-back points by Brady Paterson helped the Marauders distance themselves on the scoreboard, forcing a Waterloo timeout. McMaster showed depth in their offense, with four players getting kills in the first set. Despite leading on the scoreboard, the Marauders struggled on their errors, allowing the Warriors to close in. The Marauders closed the set with an ace from Tyler Pavelic, leaving the score at 25-17.
After a comfortable win in the first set, the Marauders continued to roll with their offense into the second. Waterloo started to settle into their game, challenging the home team. They were able to keep the score close, and as McMaster struggled with their defense, Waterloo was able to tie the score at the 15th point. Ultimately, the Marauders were able to regain their lead, edging out the Warriors 25-23.
The Marauders got some new faces into their rotation for the third set, displaying the depth in their roster. McMaster was playing strong all around, blocking out the Warriors’ offense and holding onto a comfortable lead. Jack Mackley, Jared Kuiken, and Evan Bremner each made huge kills late in the set, while first year setter Jason Heidbuurt made seven assists. On defense, Aidan Palanca made a huge dig, helping the Marauders seal the game with a huge block from Kuiken, closing the score at 25-16.
Up Next
The Marauders extend their win streak to two and will look forward to facing off against the York Lions in Toronto tomorrow evening.