Rick Zazulak

Men's Volleyball 12/20/2019 12:45:00 PM Fraser Caldwell, Sport Information Officer

A Record-Setting September Paved the Way for Sam Cooper

Marauders promising rookie outside broke the school’s vertical jump record prior to a strong first half in 2019

When their OUA schedule resumes in January, the Marauders will have plenty to build upon as the quest to reclaim the Forsyth Cup intensifies.

One of the most promising of those building blocks comes in the form of rookie outside hitter Sam Cooper, who announced his ability to compete with the conference's best immediately by playing a part in five matches and averaging 2.6 points per set in the fall.

His standout opening salvo on the volleyball court was hardly Cooper's first signal of great things to come at McMaster, however, as a record-breaking effort in his team's testing array in September demonstrated the extent of the Hamilton native's physical status at such a tender age.

Lining up to attempt one of the most important physical measures in his given sport, the vertical touch, Cooper proceeded to leap and clip the Vertec measuring system at its limit: a full 12 feet off the ground.

That effort marked a new historical mark, not only for the Marauders men's volleyball program, but for all of McMaster's varsity teams since the introduction of the test at the University.

Cooper's leap was a celebratory moment for his teammates, but no surprise to the staff of McMaster Performance, who had spent three years training the volleyball prodigie that coach Dave Preston targeted early.

"Sam's accomplishment is well deserved, as he has made his physical development a priority for the past three years," said McMaster's Strength and Conditioning Coordinator Ben Bahrami.

"It's so important that our high school athletes take advantage of key developmental stages throughout adolescence. So many athletes play their sport exclusively, and come to us with limitations. We're lucky to have had the opportunity to work with Sam as one of our external clients during his strength windows throughout high school, and we can't wait to see what he can do in the next four to five years here at McMaster."

For Preston, Cooper's early successes are a testament to good fortune, well-placed expertise and hard work coming together.

"We were very fortunate to identify Sam at a young age, and his close proximity to McMaster allowed for him to develop with world-class resources prior to attending the University," said the coach. "The McMaster Performance program has given him a great head start to a very promising career in sport."

Having enjoyed a month-long break from competition while the exam period raged through December, Cooper and his Marauders teammates have a top-quality slate of non-conference matches ahead of them, as they gear up for the resumption of OUA play on January 17.

McMaster heads to the Toronto Pan-Am Sports Centre between December 29 and 31 to take part in the Can Am Holiday Showcase, with matches against NCAA Division I powerhouses Ohio State, Lewis and Long Beach State.

Returning home in the New Year, the no. 4-ranked Marauders welcome the defending U SPORTS champions and top-ranked team in the nation, the Trinity Western Spartans, for a pair of matches at Burridge Gym on January 3 and 4.

Admission to those matches, priced to match the Marauders regular season rates, can be purchased at marauders.ca/tickets.

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