Tim Louks calls it the "second season," and both Marauder volleyball teams get it underway on Friday with a significant leg up on the competition. After successful fall campaigns, McMaster leads the OUA men's standings and tops the OUA West on the women's side as they return to conference play at the Burridge Gym.

For their part, the 8-1 Marauder women welcome a Brock Badgers team to Hamilton that struggled mightily to end 2015, with just one win from 10 matches placing them last in the divisional standings. The Badgers were active over the holiday break, participating in the Innisbrook Invitational that McMaster hosted in Clearwater, Florida.

Two veteran outside hitters should provide Brock's most reliable hitting options, as Kelsi Boroevich and Brianna Hamilton both bring several years of experience to the floor and enter Friday as the Badgers leaders in kills. Another veteran, Karlinna O'Leary stands as Brock's most reliable defender and passer, and will undoubtedly be counted upon to steady the Badgers at the Burridge Gym.
 

Across the net, the Marauders high-usage outside hitter, Joanna Jedrzejewska reenters competition after a much-needed period of rest over the holiday break. The third-year hitter, who sits fourth in kills per set and total kills in the OUA at the halfway point of the season, should see the majority of McMaster's offensive opportunities. Should she succeed, the Marauders can look to their strength in the middle to both add variety offensively and dominate the Badgers through the size and blocking prowess of the likes of Maicee Sorensen and Jill Eisenhauer.

In the second half of Friday's double feature, the top two teams in the OUA men's standings, the Marauders and Queen's Gaels, battle in what could be a defining match in the fight to host the conference's Final Four. A win would push the Marauders eight points ahead of the Gaels and extend their spotless streak in the OUA to 12 matches, while a Queen's win would firmly vault them back into contention.

The teams met in the penultimate match of their fall seasons, with McMaster sweeping Queen's in Kingston on the strength of a spectacular showing from outside Stephen Maar.

Expect Maar, who ranks second in the OUA in both kills per set and hitting percentage, to once again do battle offensive with the Gaels fifth-year star Marko Dakic. The long-time York Lion, Dakic has emerged as one of the premier hitters in the conference while carrying the bulk of the Gaels offensive workload. He anchors a veteran-laden Queen's lineup that features six starting seniors.
 

Another intriguing matchup will come in the middle, where reigning OUA MVP Danny Demyanenko will battle with Gaels blocking specialist Scott Brunet. The two players rank second and third respectively in blocks per set, and will relish another opportunity to go toe-to-toe.

That match will be a late-night treat for fans on hand at the Burridge Gym, and those who tune into the live broadcast of the Friday doubleheader on OUA.tv at 6 and 8 p.m.