He only saw action for half of McMaster's conference season in 2018-19, but the half that Matt Passalent compiled was utterly dominant.

His starring role down the stretch for the 16-2 Marauders, which helped McMaster lock up the top seed in the OUA West, earned Passalent the division's Player of the Year honours and made him the sixth consecutive Marauders winner of the award, as the OUA announced its men's volleyball major awards and all-stars Tuesday.

The Hamilton native naturally returned to the OUA West First Team for the second consecutive season, where he was joined by teammate Andrew Richards, who made his third straight appearance among that group.

Recognized for his exemplary work off court as well as on it, Richards was named as the division's nominee for the national Dale Iwanoczko Award.

McMaster left side Craig Ireland cracked an all-star team for the first time in being named to the Second Team, while first-year middle Tyler Pavelic was included in the division's All-Rookie Team.

Tuesday's honour marked the second all-star appearance for Passalent after his breakthrough to the First Team in 2018, as the right side had previously been pegged for greatness as a member of the division's All-Rookie Team in 2016.

Missing the entirety of Mac's action in the first term through injury, the fourth-year hitter returned to the mix in the New Year to immediate and wide-ranging effect.

Although the missed time holds him off the OUA's official leaderboards, Passalent's effectiveness both as an attacker and a server in the winter would stick him atop them. He averaged 3.97 kills per set and five points per set in his nine matches played, which would rank third and second respectively, and particularly shone from the service line.

There, the right side averaged 0.68 aces per set, which would top the league, and finished just seven aces back of Richards for the team lead with 21 despite his time missed.

For his part, McMaster's graduating leader on the left side enjoyed another exceptional season in 2018-19 in following up his Player of the Year campaign of a year ago.

Richards capped his Marauders career as a three-time First Team All-Star, and was an All-Rookie Team member in 2015. Taking on the role of McMaster's high-usage player on the left, Richards tallied a team high 185 kills over 16 matches, and enjoyed a .312 hitting percentage that ranked third in the conference.

Barely lagging behind Passalent from the service line, Richards averaged 0.51 aces per set, which ranked him third in the OUA.

His left side partner, Ireland garnered his first all-star recognition after stepping into a starting role for the first time this season.

The 2016 All-Rookie Team member missed the early stages of McMaster's season much like Passalent, but played a part in 14 matches and established a new career high by appearing in 43 sets for the Marauders.

Ireland was Mac's fourth-leading hitter by kills per set (2.51) and significantly upped his weaponry from the service line in 2018-19 to establish a new high of 11 aces and an average of 0.26 aces per set which tied for third among Marauders.

Taking full advantage of the opportunity presented to him by injuries at his position, first-year middle Pavelic made significant strides in his debut season in maroon. He appeared in nine matches and 31 sets, compiling 31 kills and a hitting percentage of .328 while finishing the season sixth among Marauders with 15 total blocks.

The Marauders arrive at the conclusion of the conference playoffs this weekend, as they travel to Kingston to compete in the OUA Final Four hosted by Queen's on Saturday, March 9 and Sunday, March 10.

Opening the tournament against a divisional rival, McMaster faces the Windsor Lancers at the semifinal stage Saturday, with match time scheduled for 1:00 p.m. That match will be webcast live on OUA.tv.

Tickets for the Final Four weekend in Kingston are still available.

OUA West Major Awards and All-Stars

Player of the Year: Matt Passalent, McMaster
Rookie of the Year: Jackson Bere, Western
Coach of the Year: Jim Sage, Western
Dale Iwanoczko Award: Andrew Richards, McMaster

First Team

Matt Passalent, McMaster
Jackson Bere, Western
Matt Hooker, Western
Logan House, Brock
Pierce Johnson, Windsor
John Moate, Windsor
Andrew Richards. McMaster

Second Team

Marcelo Correa, Brock
Craig Ireland, McMaster
Matthew Mawdsley, Waterloo
Zach Newman, Guelph
Nathan Phelps, Western
Peter Schnabel, Brock
Zarko Ubiparip, Guelph

All-Rookie Team

Jackson Bere, Western
Gideon Dresser, Guelph
Ethan Kalef, Brock
Mark Naqvi, Brock
Bennett Newell, Waterloo
Tyler Pavelic, McMaster
Nolan Spencer, Waterloo

OUA East Major Awards and All-Stars

Player of the Year: Xander Ketrzynski, Ryerson
Rookie of the Year: Xander Ketrzynski, Ryerson
Coach of the Year: Gabriel De Groot, Queen's
Dale Iwanoczko Award: Zac Hutcheson, Queen's

First Team

Xander Ketrzynski, Ryerson
Jordan Figueria, Toronto
Zane Grossinger, Queen's
Zane Hutcheson, Queen's
Logan Mend, York
Adam Sanderson, Ryerson
Chris Towe, Toronto

Second Team

Riley Anderson, Ryerson
Adam Bolijkovac, Queen's
Dylan Hunt, Queen's
Navreet Suhan, Ryerson
Andrew Tauhid, York
Dale Towe, RMC
Steve Wood, Nipissing

All Rookie Team

Xander Ketrzynski, Ryerson
Dan Everton, York
Evan Falardeau, Toronto
Shane Gabel, Queen's
Grady McClure, Nipissing
Saad Shaikh, Ryerson
Omar Young, Ryerson