M-VOLLEYBALL ROUNDUP: Mustangs upset defending champ Marauders on opening weekend

Friday, October 17

Guelph 0 @ Ryerson 3 (25-16, 37-35, 25-19)

TORONTO – The Ryerson Rams men's volleyball team needed just three sets to defeat the Guelph Gryphons (25-16, 37-35, 25-19) on opening night at the Mattamy Athletic Centre.

Senior Alex Dawson (Scarborough, Ont.) had a game-high 15 kills to pace the Rams to victory while sophomore Lucas Coleman (Brooklin, Ont.) added 11 kills in the win.

"We have so much depth on our team that if I don't have my best game then it's okay because there's someone that can just step in right afterwards," said Dawson following the match. "I felt I could really take a lot of risks and just swing hard and see what happens."

The Rams offence was clicking early in the first set and at the technical timeout Ryerson was doubling up Guelph, 16-8. The first set lasted just 20 minutes and was polished off with one of Robert Wojcik's (Whitby, Ont.) six kills on the night as the Rams took the set 25-16.

Guelph responded well after the first set and took an early 7-3 lead in the second to force a Ryerson timeout. The Rams battled back into the set but still trailed 16-15 at the technical.

The teams traded point for point down the stretch and needed extra points to find a winner. Either side could have come away victorious but after a Guelph service error gave the Rams a 36-35 advantage, Marc Reardon (London, Ont.) posted one of his four solo blocks to give Ryerson a 37-35 win and 2-0 lead in the match.

Ryerson rode the momentum from the second set right into the third and led 16-11 at the technical timeout. The Rams led by as many as seven at 21-14 and were able to close the set out at 25-19 to complete the sweep.

Will Otten (Delaware, Ont.) was strong in the back court, recording a game-high 12 digs. Guelph's Patrick Strzalkowski led the visitors with eight kills in the loss.

Despite the solid outing from the Rams, head coach Mirek Porosa knows the team still has some things to work on.

"We could have put them away earlier…but we practiced this to be composed and calm and execute under pressure. We're going to get better but what I can say is we have to serve more consistent to beat the better teams."

Ryerson returns to the court next Friday, October 24 when they face the defending OUA champion McMaster Marauders in Hamilton.

Source: Ryerson Rams

Western 3 @ McMaster 2 (19-25, 23-25, 26-24, 25-22 and 15-13)

McMaster was punished for its errors on Friday, as Western stormed back from a two-set deficit to defeat the Marauders 3-2 in the teams' season opener at the Burridge Gym Friday.

Set scores were 19-25, 23-25, 26-24, 25-22 and 15-13 for the Mustangs, who won their first match at the Burridge Gym since 2011.

Derek Kuiack was the difference maker for Western on Friday, as the outside hitter entered the game as the setter in the third set and settled the Mustangs' offense. He finished with a total of 32 assists in three sets played.

Outside Justin Scapinello led all scorers with 19 points in the Mustang win, including 17 kills.

Danny Demyanenko led the Marauders with 18.5 points on 13-20 hitting versus three errors, two aces and three and a half blocks.

Despite struggles with their service and reception, the Marauders appeared well on their way to a opening-night victory when they survived a scare to eke out the second set and take a 2-0 lead overall.

But that changed when Western solidified its own game, significantly improving its passing with the introduction of Kuiack. The combination of Mike Choja and Chris Newcombe began to take advantage of the better service through the middle, while Scapinello handled volume on the outside.

In a back-and-forth third set, Western held its nerve to edge past McMaster 26-24, and the hosts kept momentum in their corner for the remainder of the contest.

For McMaster, unreliable passing and self-inflicted wounds from the service line made for an uphill climb on Friday. The Marauders committed 14 service errors versus just four aces in the loss, and tossed in nine reception errors.

It was a loose, and ultimately, costly performance from the defending champions, and one that coach Dave Preston will look to improve by leaps and bounds in time for McMaster's return to the Burridge Gym on Saturday.

Source: McMaster Marauders

Saturday, October 18th

Windsor 0 @ McMaster 3

Improvement was needed after an opening-night shock, and improvement is what McMaster got in their second game of the OUA season on Saturday.

The Marauders steadied their passing and much of their effort from the service line, and saw out a straight-set victory over the Windsor Lancers at the Burridge Gym to even their record at 1-1.

Jayson McCarthy was the offensive standout for the Marauders, converting 11 of 22 hitting attempts versus two errors (.409) and adding an ace and two blocks for a game-high 14 points. Middle Danny Demyanenko was a positive influence on both sides of the ball, hitting 6-12 versus one error and chipping in four and a half total blocks. Setter Andrew Kocur took over creative duties for the Marauders with Austin Campion-Smith missing for personal reasons, and had 26 assists and a team-high six digs in the win.

Rookie Jake MacNeil was exceptional in shortened duty for the Lancers, coming off the bench in the second set to lead his team with 9 kills and 10.5 total points.

After a shaky opening to Saturday's game, Marauder head coach called time with the teams knotted at 10. He got the response he needed from his group, as McMaster raced ahead on the strength of their outside hitting. In a spotless set without an attacking error, the Marauders took the first by a seven-point margin.

Windsor was aided greatly by the insertion of MacNeil, who was a terror on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball. Despite their hitting percentage falling drastically as a team, the Marauders escaped the second largely on the strength of a mid-set scoring run. The Lancers made a late push, but it was too little too late.

A number of hitters who had been dormant for the Lancers in the second reappeared in the third, as Gabriel Burlacu and middle Adam Thompson saw more of the ball from setter Andrew Chelladurai. Errors crept up for the Marauders, but they were the cleaner of the two sides in the set, and saw out the sweep as a result.

Source: McMaster Marauders

RMC 0 @ Waterloo 3 (25-18, 25-17, 25-9)

The Warriors men's volleyball team could not have scripted a better outcome for their home openers Saturday evening. The black and gold were taking on RMC in front of a raucous crowd that saw them win in straight sets (25-18, 25-17, 25-9). The Warriors are now 1-0 to start the season.

Waterloo was looking to start off the season strong in front of many alumni, family and friends during Alumni Big Ticket Day. From start to finish, the Warriors were dominant and never allowed the Paladins to gain any momentum.

Waterloo took the first set 25-18 and had a solid .310 kill percentage. Even more impressive was in set 2, where they won 25-17, Waterloo had an outstanding .500 kill percentage. In the third set, Waterloo make a whole-sale line change and gave a number of rookies court time. The new-look Warriors relished at the opportunity and defeated the Paladins 25-9 in the third and final set.

Jordan Dyck (St. Catharines) was a beast for the Warriors, collecting 4 kills and 1 solo block and 3 assisted blocks. Leading attacker was Jordan McConkey (Stratford) who had 9 kills (.900 kill percentage) and 8 assisted blocks while running mate Zachary Doherty (Goderich) had 9 kills, and 5 digs. Aaron Wiersma (St. Catharines) was also a force for the Warriors, posting 8 kills and 4 digs in the victory. Nikola Dimitrijevic (Mississauga), in place of injured Gibson Graham (Markham), had an admirable night with 31 assists and 5 digs.

Source: Waterloo Warriors