HAMILTON, Ont. – The Marauders won their third straight Forsyth Cup on Friday night in the Burridge against the Queen’s Gaels. After an intense five-set game full of long rallies, both teams brought their top-tier offense and defense to this final match. The Marauders showcased their resilience by coming back from being down two sets to one. McMaster continues their legacy as a team to watch in Canadian university men’s volleyball.
Leading McMaster’s offense was Brendan Mills with 18 kills, one service ace, and one solo block. Outside hitter Maxime Gratton made 15 kills, two service aces, six digs, and two solo blocks. Consistently supporting the offense, setter Robbie Fujisawa made 40 assists, six digs, and earned himself an impressive kill. On defense, libero Matthew Rugosi led the team with seven digs.
The energy was electric in the Burridge as the crowd erupted after every point starting from the very beginning of the game. The teams exchanged points back and forth early on in the first set, showing how tightly matched they were. A huge kill from Mills brought the score to 6-7 for the Gaels, followed by a connection from Fujisawa to first year middle, Jared Kuiken, to tie the score again at 7-7. After a long rally mid-set, the Marauders fought for every ball and survived a nearly impossible play, which finished with a kill from Tyler Pavelic. Late in the set, McMaster found the first substantial lead of the game, 17-14, forcing a Queen’s timeout. The Marauders held composure and their lead, ultimately finishing the first set on top, 25-18.
Gratton opened the second set flying down the middle of the Marauder court for the kill. McMaster found an early lead, but Queen’s wasn’t going to give up easily. The Gaels came through with two consecutive service aces, stumping the home team’s defense. The teams tied the score up to 11-11, but the Gaels followed up with three consecutive points, forcing McMaster’s first timeout of the night. Coming back from the break, the Marauders gained momentum with an ace from Mills and huge dig by Brady Paterson that ultimately found him the kill in a long rally, bringing the score to 17-16 for Queen’s. Peter Pilling was subbed in for a serve and put up an ace that thrilled the home bench. The Gaels managed to reached set point first and while McMaster managed to stay alive for one more point, the away team took the second set 25-22.
Setter Fujisawa earned McMaster’s first kill of the third set with a strategic dump, exciting the home crowd. The Marauders struggled to generate consistent offense at the start of the set, causing them to call the first timeout to attempt to slow the Gaels’ momentum. Queen’s began to put up some errors, allowing McMaster to close in on their lead. A big block from first year duo Kuiken and Paterson brought McMaster within one of Queen’s lead, 15-14. The Marauders used their second timeout late in the set, as the Gaels approached set point, 21-18. A kill from Paterson brought McMaster within one again and forced Queen’s to use their timeout as they led 24-23. The Gaels managed to find their last point, finding the win with a score of 25-23 in a nail biting set.
Going into the fourth set down by two, the Marauders knew that they needed to show determination and grit to stay alive and push the game to five sets. The set was opened by a smooth ace from setter Fujisawa, as McMaster quickly built up a five-point lead, leading to a Queen’s timeout. The Marauders continued to tear through the Gaels, finding a dominant 10-2 lead with the help of an ace from Pavelic and four kills by Mills so far in the set. Gratton made McMaster’s third ace of the set, drawing out a huge reaction from the crowd as the Marauders led 14-5. The Gaels began to claw their way back, with four-points bringing them to a score of 14-9. Gratton made the last three kills of the set for McMaster, as they earned themselves a confident 25-12 win to extend the game to a fifth set.
In the final set of the match, the Marauders found the first two points with the help of a kill from Mills. The set wasn’t going to come easy to either team with the Forsyth Cup on the line. A quick, smart play from middle Kuiken earned McMaster a kill after the Gaels couldn’t control the service return, bringing the Marauders to a 7-3 lead. Queen’s fought to earn three consecutive points, bringing McMaster’s lead within one. Tension was high in the Burridge, as the Marauders held the Gaels at a one-point lead. An assist from Fujisawa to Mills brought McMaster to set point, at a score of 14-12. The Marauders won the game in a picture-perfect finish, as Gratton made an ace to win 15-12.
Up Next
McMaster will look forward to competing in the U SPORTS Championships hosted by the Queen’s Gaels in Kingston, Ont. from March 14th-17th. In the last U SPORTS rankings posted on February 20th, the Marauders held the third-place spot in the nation, and will hope to prove themselves at the national tournament.