The Marauders edged out the Lancers in a competitive four-set match on Friday night in Windsor.
Leading the Marauders on offense was third year Brendan Mills with a staggering 23 kills and three service aces. Alongside him was Maxime Gratton with 13 kills and one service ace, while Robbie Fujisawa was a key supporting player with 47 assists and 16 digs.
The home team opened the first set strong, taking an early lead over the Marauders. The Lancers were able to get a quick seven-point lead, with McMaster struggling on their offense. The Marauders stayed resilient, slowly edging their way onto the scoreboard. As McMaster gained momentum, they were able to close Windsor’s lead to 20-19 with the help of a six-point run. This forced the home team to use both their timeouts, as the Marauders tore away with their offense, making a shocking comeback. The Marauders finished the set on top, 25-22, recovering from a huge Windsor lead.
The Marauders carried their momentum into the second set, with an early service ace from Mills. They were able to hold onto a small lead early and continued to tear away on the scoreboard with the help of five kills from Mills and another service ace. This forced the Lancers to use both their timeouts early on, as the Marauders continued on to win the set 25-21.
The third set was an incredibly close contest for the teams. Mills continued to have a strong serving game, earning an ace on the first point of the set. The teams matched each other all game, with neither finding a substantial lead. Both teams used both of their timeouts in the second half of the set, as they attempted to edge each other out. First year Brady Paterson made a service ace late in the set, exciting the Marauder bench and bringing the score to 25-24 for McMaster. The Marauders were faced with going to extra points for the first time this season, as they went head-to-head with Windsor’s offense. Despite their strong efforts, the Lancers were able to stay alive for another set as they won this one 28-26.
The Lancers looked revived going into the fourth set, holding onto a small lead early on. Paterson made two kills and a service ace early in the set, despite McMaster still lagging on the scoreboard. The Marauders wouldn’t let the Lancers find a comfortable lead, quickly earning back the points to tie the game at the 21st point and forcing a Windsor timeout. Mills continued to have an impressive game with six kills in the fourth, proving his consistency on offense. Once McMaster found their momentum, they tore away with five consecutive points and pushed themselves to set point, where they were able to finish the game with a kill from Gratton to close the score at 25-23.
Up Next
The Marauders will now face off against the Lancers again tomorrow at 6pm as they finish off their weekend in Windsor and hope to come away with another win.