The #2 nationally-ranked Marauders defeated the #6 nationally-ranked Varsity Blues on Sunday afternoon in Toronto in a four-match game. The Marauders continue the season undefeated and extend their win streak to 12.
Mateusz Wlodarski (Ottawa, Ont.) led the Marauders in kills with 13, while Brendan Mills (London, Ont.) also had a great game with 10 kills. Setter Robbie Fujisawa (North York, Ont.) made 44 assists and 12 digs, along with getting one kill against the Varsity Blues.
McMaster opened the first set confidently with four straight points before the Varsity Blues were able to respond. The Marauders ran with this early lead, and a stealthy kill from setter Fujisawa thrilled the team. Toronto showed resilience, fighting to close the gap on the scoreboard, and were successful in tying it up at 11-11. Both teams showed their strong presence on the court with impressive digs and kills as they continued to match each other. Leading the McMaster offense was Mills with five kills and a service ace. The Marauders were able to edge out the Varsity Blues with the help of 12 assists from Fujisawa, finishing the close match 25-23.
The second set played out similarly to the first, with the teams matching each other for points. Toronto gained their first lead of the game, 5-4, as they challenged the Marauder defense. This small lead didn’t seem to faze McMaster, as they gained momentum to find themselves a five-point lead, the largest of the game so far. Wlodarski led the team in kills with five, and Fujisawa made 11 more assists. McMaster was able to hold onto their lead to win the set 25-21.
Toronto gained their first significant lead in the game at the start of the third set, as they brought a newfound intensity to their offense. On the Marauder defense, both liberos Benjamin Kerkhoff (London, Ont.) and Matthew Rugosi (Etobicoke, Ont.) were strong on their digs, showing impressive athleticism to try to keep the score close. The Varsity Blues looked confident on their home court and continued to find the holes in the Marauder defense, as they stole away with the lead. McMaster couldn’t match their offense, and Toronto was able to win the set quite comfortably with a score of 25-18.
The intensity was high for both teams going into the fourth set. The match was competitive with points being exchanged back and forth, and neither team was able to find a substantial lead. A powerful service ace from Maxime Gratton (Ottawa, Ont.) seemed like the turning point for McMaster, as they started to generate consistent offense. Peter Rugosi (Toronto, Ont.) led with four kills, while Gratton and Tyler Pavelic (Guelph, Ont.) each made three kills each in the fourth set. The Marauders were able to finish the game in this fourth set, winning decisively 25-14.
Up Next
The Marauders finish their weekend of away games with two wins and will look forward to playing on Wednesday night at home against the Waterloo Warriors. They carry on their season undefeated and currently sit in the top spot of the OUA standings.