Marauders Sweep Gryphons for Second Night in a Row

The Marauders swept the Gryphons for the second night in a row on Saturday in Guelph. McMaster improves their win streak to three as they hand Guelph their first two losses of the season.  

Leading McMaster with assists was setter Robbie Fujisawa with 36, while Brendan Mills lead in kills with 16. First year Brady Paterson led in digs with seven, while Maxime Gratton made three service aces.  

The Marauders opened up the first set with the early lead, while a huge solo block from Gratton brought the Marauders to a three-point lead. The Gryphons struggled with their service errors, while McMaster was strong on their blocks. Guelph started to close in on McMaster’s lead but weren’t quite able to tie up the score. A huge kill from Mills coming down the right side followed by a kill from Paterson forced a Guelph timeout at 19-14. The Marauders continued strong on their offense, reaching set point first. Guelph was able to stay alive for three more points, but Mills closed out the set 25-21.  

Going into the second set, Guelph made a huge block early on, but Tyler Pavelic was quick to respond with a kill for McMaster, tying the score at 2-2. The Marauders start to find a small 8-5 lead, with the help of kills from Pavelic, Mills, and Haben Yohannes. Two back service aces from Guelph forced a McMaster timeout as they closed in on the scoreboard. Despite this, the Marauders came back from the break, Mills came in quick with a kill to hold the McMaster lead 18-16. The away team held onto their lead and didn’t look back, finishing the set 25-21.  

Guelph opened the third set with the first point, but McMaster had a quick response to match them. The teams continued to tie until the home team started to tear away with a small lead. The Gryphons continued with their momentum to double the score at 10-5, forcing a McMaster timeout. The Marauders fought to earn the first two points back after the break, but the Gryphons continued and found a five-point lead. An impressive service ace from Gratton helped McMaster start to close in on the Guelph lead 12-16. The Marauders stayed resilient and were able to tie the score back up at 20-20 for the first time since the start of the set. McMaster continued their point tear, earning the last five out of six points in the game to perform when it mattered. Ultimately, McMaster took the set 25-22 to win the game. 

Up Next 

The Marauders finish off their last game of 2023 and will look forward to their first game back from the break on January 5th against the Nipissing Lakers in North Bay.