The No. 5 nationally ranked McMaster Marauders men's volleyball team kicks off their Forsyth Cup postseason campaign this weekend with a quarterfinal match at home against the Nipissing Lakers.
 
Game time is scheduled for 2pm at the Burridge Gym, with all the action streamed live online at OUA.tv.
 
The two sides met once during the regular season, with the Maroon coming away with the 3-1 victory (25-21, 24-26, 25-18, 25-19), in North Bay, Ont. back in November.
 
After missing the first four games of the season, Nathan Delguidice returned to action against the Lakers, leading all players with 16 kills. Fourth-year setter David Doty recorded 35 assists, while Matt Passalent hit an impressive .440 percent for 15 kills.
 
The Marauders clinched top spot in the OUA West division for the fourth straight season (the West division was established for the 2016-17 season), after posting a 15-2 record. Meanwhile the Lakers enter the postseason as the fourth-seed out of the OUA East division, with an even 9-9 record.
 
The Marauders went on a 13-game win streak over the course of the season, dropping a mere four sets during that stretch. The 15-win team also swept their opponents 10 times during the regular season.
 
The Lakers opened their season winning three of their first four games, and found their best stretch of success in late January, snapping a two-game losing skid to open 2020 with a trio of victories over the York Lions, Waterloo Warriors and RMC Paladins.
 
The Maroon are led by last season's OUA West Most Valuable Player, Passalent, who has been efficient on the offensive end, hitting an OUA third best .361 percent all season. Not to be outdone, outside hitter Delguidice has been a force to reckon with, ranking second in the OUA in kills per set with 3.83 kills and points per set with 4.6.
 
For the Lakers, outside hitter Jackson Young has been the leading point getter, averaging 4.1 points per set – fifth best in the league. Much of the North Bay squad's offensive play flows through setter Eric Ellison who ranks eighth in the OUA in assists per set with 7.53 assists.
 
With a win on Saturday night securing a spot to the final four, much is on the line for both squads, as this season the OUA holds three berths to the U SPORTS Championships set to take place in a couple of weeks.
 
As the top seed out of the OUA West division, a victory on Saturday would ultimately give the Marauders hosting rights for the Forsyth Cup Final Four Championships from March 6-7.