The Marauders swept the Huskies in three sets on Friday night for the U SPORTS quarterfinal match. McMaster was the second ranked team in the tournament while Saskatchewan was ranked seventh. The pressure was on for this game, with the stands packed for the home team and the crowd was erupting with every point.
Leading the McMaster offense was Sam Cooper (Hamilton, Ont.) with 10 kills, two service aces and two solo blocks. Teammate Brendan Mills (London, Ont.) was McMaster’s MVP of the game, making nine kills, one service ace, and six digs. On defense, second year Matthew Rugosi (Etobicoke, Ont.) led with nine digs, while setter Robbie Fujisawa (North York, Ont.) made 32 assists and seven digs.
The Marauders took a quick 5-1 lead in set one in front of a full home crowd, forcing the Huskies to a use timeout early. Energy was high in Burridge and the Marauders were confident on their offense, and Cooper came in with an ace that thrilled the crowd. Despite this momentum for the Marauders, the Huskies were able to settle into their groove and were solid on their blocks, closing the gap on the scoreboard. This shift in momentum pushed McMaster head coach, Dave Preston, to call a timeout. The Marauders continued to hold onto the lead, with Mills leading them in kills with three and Fujisawa leading in digs with four. A late service ace from Mills lit up the crowd, as the Marauders were able to hold onto their lead and finish on top with a score of 25-19.
After facing a tough battle in the first match, the Huskies brought out a new intensity in the second. The teams matched each other on the scoreboard up until the 13th point, building tension in the Burridge. At this point, the Marauders found their rhythm with six consecutive points; building themselves a lead. McMaster’s offense was led by Cooper with five kills, while Fujisawa made 14 assists. Despite the pressure in the beginning of the set, the Marauders were able to stay composed and finished the set on top, 25-20.
Going into set three, the Huskies knew they had to win the set to stay alive in this match. The score was kept close, with neither team finding a substantial lead in the first half of the set. McMaster took a timeout after the Huskies went on a three-point run, finding themselves a small 9-8 lead. The Marauders continued to be strong on their blocks, but despite this, the Huskies continued to hold onto a one- or two-point lead. McMaster remained composed, with Cooper leading in kills with three, and managed to tie up the score at the 18th point. The Marauders rolled with this momentum, forcing a late Huskies timeout. Despite trailing for a lot of the set, a four-point run brought them close to the set point, and they were able to close out the game 25-20.
In the post-game press conference, Preston was asked about the team’s performance today, to which he said, “they played their best game today. We talked about it before too, about trying not to peak and just playing optimally. And I thought we did.” Regarding the teams they may be matching up against, Preston said, “at this stage, you don’t find weaknesses, right? You just try and minimize their strengths as much as you can.” The team knows that it’ll be a competitive tournament as they match up against the top volleyball programs in the nation.
Up Next
The Marauders will now advance to the semifinals tomorrow at 6pm in the Burridge. They await results from the Montreal Carabins vs Trinity Western Spartans to determine who they will match up against.