It was a scrappy and defensive contest to open the OUA season Friday, but the Marauders were the more resilient side in the key moments to carve out a four-set win over the Mustangs.

Bouncing back after dropping a tight second set, McMaster won the next two to wrap up the match 25-22, 23-25, 25-22, 25-21.

Veteran outside hitter Craig Ireland was Mac's most prolific attacker on the night, with eight kills from 34 attempts versus five errors (.088), while adding two aces and three solo blocks for a team high 13 points. He was also the team's leading defender with a total of 10 digs.

Rookies Sam Cooper, Zach Christensen and Wojtek Kraj all saw their first action as Marauders, with Cooper providing six kills and a team-leading total of three aces, hitting .231 in his debut. For his part, Christensen split setting duties with veteran David Doty, with the two accounting for 14 and 15 assists respectively.

There was little to separate the two teams offensively, with McMaster boasting a plus-19 kills to errors ratio (39-20) to Western's plus-18 (42-24). But the Marauders exerted their trademark service pressure en route to 10 aces, while the Mustangs earned just three.

NEXT UP: The Marauders complete their Burridge Gym homestand on Saturday, October 26, when they play host to the Windsor Lancers at 8 p.m. That match will be webcast live and on demand on OUA.tv.