Two teams on very different runs of form come together at the Burridge Gym on Friday, when the division-leading Marauders play host to the 1-4 Waterloo Warriors.

McMaster has enjoyed a strong start to its OUA campaign, losing just one of its first five contests of the season. The Marauders followed that setback against the Ottawa Gee-Gees with a pair of wins in Thunder Bay this past weekend, where McMaster clawed back a two-set deficit against Lakehead on Friday and swept the doubleheader with a four-set decision on Saturday.

Alone atop the OUA West standings with eight points from five games, the Marauders will look to cement that position with a win in their single match of the weekend.

Waterloo finds itself in the opposite position of looking up from the bottom of the divisional standings, where they sit second-to-last with just one win from five matches. That victory came in the Warriors season-opener against the RMC Paladins, and Waterloo has claimed just one set in four losses since.

Statistics tell a tale of a Warriors team struggling to find reliable offensive options, as Waterloo sits second-to-last in the OUA in hitting percentage (.092) and third in hitting errors (103). Their search for a scorer can be seen in their ball distribution, as five different Waterloo hitters have 70 or more attempts through five matches.

Waterloo will need to be much more efficient on Friday if they hope to hang with a McMaster team that has not lacked for offence thus far in 2014.

Leading the Marauders is second-year outside hitter Joanna Jedrzejewska, who currently stands as the joint OUA leader in kills with 61. She has seen the lion's share of the ball for McMaster this season, leading the team with 159 attempts through five matches, while fellow outside Lauren Mastroluisi sits second with 118.

The creative engine behind that offence is second-year setter Caitlin Genovy, who has firmly taken hold of the starting job in a crowded field of Marauder passers. She currently leads the OUA with 158 total assists, and sits sixth in assists per set (8.78). It's a remarkable start for a player enjoying her first sustained stretch of court time as an OUA player.

Can the Warriors slow down Genovy and the Marauders high-flying outsides? Or will McMaster roll to its fifth victory of the young season?

The two teams take the first steps toward answering those questions when the first serve is taken at 6:00 p.m. at the Burridge Gym. McMaster students can get in free if they wear maroon and bring their student card, and anyone who can't make it to the gym can catch the action live on OUA.tv.

Your regular commentary team of Alex Pocrnick and Fraser Caldwell has the call.