MVB RECAP: Gryphons Fall to Defending OUA Champion Marauders in OUA Semifinals; Guelph to Play for OUA Bronze on March 9

HAMILTON, Ont. – Friday night (March 1) in Hamilton at McMaster University’s Burridge Gymnasium, the Guelph Gryphons men’s volleyball team suffered a straight-sets loss to the No. 3-nationally ranked Marauders in OUA semifinal action. Set scores were 25-19, 25-22 & 25-20 in favour of the host Marauders, who advance to the OUA final and now sit one win away from securing a third straight Forsyth Cup. The Gryphons, meanwhile, will turn their attention to a crucial OUA bronze medal game on Saturday, March 9, where they will travel to St. Catharines to face the Brock Badgers. The winner of the Guelph-Brock OUA bronze medal game on March 9 will grab the OUA’s final spot in the 2024 U SPORTS Men’s Volleyball Championships, scheduled for March 15-17 in Kingston.
 
After coming out on top of a hard-fought, five-set victory over the Windsor Lancers a week ago in the OUA quarterfinals, the Gryphons earned a spot in the OUA semifinals against the OUA’s top-seeded McMaster Marauders. The Marauders, who posted a 16-4 record during the regular season, cruised through their OUA quarterfinal matchup with Nipissing a week ago. But Friday night’s game featured two of the top attacking players in the country going back-and-forth in Guelph’s Jonny Pickett and McMaster’s Brendan Mills.
 
After McMaster took the opening set 25-19, the Gryphons pushed back in the 2nd set. Pickett, a 6-foot-6 outside hitter from Wiarton, Ontario in his final season as a Gryphon, racked up a team-high 17 points on the night, including a powerful kill from the right side late in the 2nd set that helped Guelph get within striking distance of McMaster, with the Gryphons trailing 23-22 late in the set. Unfortunately for the Gryphons, the 2nd set would get away from them in the final points, with McMaster taking a tight 2nd set, 25-22.
 
In the 3rd set, the Gryphons would get some nice contributions from throughout the lineup, with middle blockers Josh Glasbergen and Nathan Peters producing some clutch points for the Gryphons. After a quick denial at the net from third-year left-side, Liam Kinahan, the Gryphons once again found themselves going toe-to-toe with the perennial power Marauders, with Guelph narrowly trailing (21-19) in the late stages of the 3rd set. However, the Marauders would once again close the set in convincing fashion, with Mills and Maxime Gratton leading the way for McMaster. An entertaining rally on match-point would eventually go the Marauders way, giving Mac the straight sets victory. McMaster will now host Queen’s in the OUA gold medal game on Friday, March 8 in Hamilton.