Box Score Rematching against the team that nearly spoiled their home opener at the Burridge Gym, the Marauders put together a much more decisive victory on Friday to sweep the season series against the Warriors in Waterloo.
Sweeping the match 25-16, 25-22 and 25-15, McMaster dispatched their OUA final nemesis of a year ago with ease, moving to 5-0 on the season with the victory. The Warriors, meanwhile, dropped their second consecutive decision after their shock defeat to the Nipissing Lakers a week ago.
Stephen Maar led the Marauders with 13 kills and an ace for a total of 14 points, while Waterloo's Braden Cok was the match's top scorer with 15 kills and 16.5 points.
McMaster was on point from the first serve, and had a commanding 11-5 lead midway through the opening set after Andrew Kocur found the floor with a dump. One-way service continued as the teams barrelled toward the technical timeout, and when Andrew Richards hammered a spinning ace, Mac led 16-9. Despite something of a fightback from the Warriors, the Marauders sealed the opening set when Alex Elliot played the role of puppet master from the service line, driving an ace to the back corner for set point before following with a teardrop to the front row to win it.
Bouncing back well from the lopsided first, the host Warriors raised their level in the second set, and were fighting tooth and nail with the Marauders until the technical timeout, when a Danny Demyanenko tape ace gave McMaster a 16-13 lead. Waterloo stayed in touch, and it took a ferocious pack from the left from Richards to push the visitors ahead 20-18 as the teams approached the finish line. A costly double touch from Gibson Graham forced a Waterloo timeout at 22-18, and the Warriors would get no closer. After Demyanenko backset Maar to tool the Warrior block for set point, Jayson McCarthy brought the set to a close three points later with a strong kill from the right.
Strong backcourt defence was a constant for Mac on Friday, and the Marauders rode some of that rally-extending magic to an 11-7 lead in the third, after a pancake dig allowed the visitors to craft a kill. Momentum clearly in their corner, McMaster brought the teams into the technical timeout when Demyanenko notched an emotional solo stuff for 16-11. The lead continued to swell as Waterloo ran out of real estate, with Maar extending the Marauders advantage to seven points at 22-15 with an ace. Another unblocked kill from McCarthy brought up match point, and Richards ended the night with a massive solo block on the left for 25-15.
