The Marauders have had two weeks to prepare, in the knowledge that the province's best would descend on the Burridge Gym. On Friday, they put that work to the test in pursuit of an OUA title.

McMaster hosts the OUA Final Four, beginning with the conference semifinals on Friday (5:30 pm and 8 pm) and concluding with the championship game at 7 pm on Saturday.

The CIS no. 2-ranked Maroon and Grey are in search of their fourth OUA championship banner in six seasons, and enter competition as the clear favourite, having compiled a 17-1 record to lead the conference throughout the regular season.

Their exceptional campaign was recognized on Tuesday, as the Marauders featured prominently in the OUA's year-end awards. Rookie middle hitter Dany Demyanenko was named Rookie of the Year, and included in both the First-Team All-Star and All-Rookie teams, while head coach Dave Preston was named OUA Coach of the Year. In all, five members of the team were named to the All-Star and All-Rookie lineups, including three first-year players (Demyanenko, Stephen Maar and Jason McCarthy).

Despite their impressive season, the Marauders will be looking to do something unfamiliar on Friday: rebound from a loss. McMaster dropped its final game of the regular season to the York Lions, and will have the opportunity to gain some revenge in the semifinal round, after York upset the Queen's Gaels in the quarterfinals to book a place in the Final Four.

The Marauders will need a strong match from First-Team All-Star setter Austin Campion-Smith if they are to advance to the conference final and secure a spot in the CIS Championship tournament. Campion-Smith has emerged as a team leader this season while posting an average of 10.23 assists per game that ranks third in the conference. It falls to him to fulfill the potential of the Marauders' revolving door of offensive talent.

Ray Szeto starred when these two teams last met, scoring 16 points and 13 kills to lead the Lions and the match over the course of three sets. The third-year outside followed that performance by hanging 26.5 points and 24 kills on the Queen's Gaels in York's thrilling five-set quarterfinal win, and was recognized on Tuesday with a place among the OUA's First Team All-Stars. Szeto enjoyed 55 hitting attempts in Kingston, and he will be relied upon heavily as the Lions try to repeat the trick against McMaster.

The first match of the afternoon pits the OUA's second and third-ranked teams against one another, who have proved closely matched in two previous matches this season. The Waterloo Warriors and Western Mustangs split two five-set encounters, with the Warriors winning the first in London and the Mustangs answering when the season series turned to Waterloo.

The Warriors found themselves in something of a slump as the OUA season drew to a close, following that setback against the Mustangs with a straight-set loss to the Windsor Lancers in the two teams' final match of the campaign. Their quarterfinal match against the Toronto Varsity Blues was closely contested, but the Warriors edged their visitors in four sets to earn their ticket to the Burridge Gym.

Waterloo – much like McMaster – enjoys a balanced offence, and is rarely forced to rely on only one or two hitters to produce. Five Warriors – Fiodar Kazhamiaka, Zach Doherty, Corey Yednoroz, Jordan Dyck and rookie Sergey Grabovsky – ranked in the OUA's top 20 in points per game this season.

Defensively, Waterloo features the province's second-leading blocker in Jordan Dyck, who ranks second in both total blocks (51) and blocks per game (0.75). Second-year libero Erich Woolley commands the Warriors' backcourt, and was named OUA Libero of the Year on Tuesday and Waterloo's sole First-Team All Star after leading the conference handily in both total digs (190) and digs per game (2.97).

The well-rounded Warriors will be met by a Western Mustangs team that enjoyed a rebound of its own a week ago, after being swept by the Guelph Gryphons to end the regular season. The Mustangs responding by dispatching the Ryerson Rams in four sets, with star outside hitter Garrett May providing 21.5 points and 21 kills on 42 attempts.

May is the undoubted focus of the Western offence, and his superb play this season was rewarded on Tuesday, when the third-year was named OUA Player of the Year. He led the conference by a wide margin in both points per game (5.15) and kills per game (4.57), while enjoying a conference-high of 621 hitting attempts. Containing May will surely be Waterloo's top priority on Friday.

The Mustangs and Warriors face off at 5:30 pm, with the Marauders and Lions following at 8 pm.

Follow the action live on Cogeco Cable 14 or online at marauders.ca/live