Lancers, Warriors and Lions hope to spoil Marauders bid for 3rd straight OUA title

The CIS No. 1 McMaster Marauders won 59 sets in 20 games, which is as close to an undefeated regular season as you can get, without actually getting it.

After opening the season with a 3-2 loss against the Western Mustangs, the Marauders rolled off 19 wins in a row, losing just two sets in the process, en route to clinching top spot in the conference, a playoff bye into the semifinals, and the right to host the OUA Men's Volleyball Championships.

The tournament begins in Hamilton, Ont. on Friday, Feb. 20 and, along with the Marauders, features the Waterloo Warriors, York Lions, and Windsor Lancers. 

(1) McMaster Marauders vs. (4) Windsor Lancers
OUA Semifinal – Friday, Feb. 20 @ 8 p.m.

After receiving a quarter-finals bye, the Marauders (19-1) will be well-rested as they get set to host the Lancers (9-11), and are looking to win a third consecutive OUA championship banner. If they were to accomplish the feat, it would be their eight conference title in 10 seasons.

The Marauders are led by a star-studded lineup that includes OUA Player of the Year and First-Team All-Star Danny Demyanenko, who led the conference in hitting percentage at .567, over 10 points higher than the next closest player. Marauders setter Austin Campion-Smith was a First-Team All-Star after leading the conference with 10.1 assists per set. He had 29 assists in McMaster's most recent regular season win against the Lancers on Jan. 11.  As a team, the Marauders had 33 total assists that game. The Marauders also have 2014's Player of the Year Jori Mantha, who was a second-team all-star this season.

Coming in to the playoffs as the seventh seed – the lowest in the conference – the Windsor Lancers shocked many when they eliminated the second-seeded, CIS No. 9-ranked Ryerson Rams in the quarter-finals. Windsor now needs to be even better as they take on McMaster in the semifinals. The Lancers dropped both matches against McMaster by 3-0 scores, but have won six of their last eight games, including the quarter-finals win. The Lancers did not have anyone on their roster named an OUA All-Star, though Jake MacNeil did receive all-rookie honours, and will need a complete team effort if they are going to knock off McMaster. Adam Thompson was Windsor's best player in their quarter-finals win, he led the team with nine kills, 15.5 points, four blocks, and two service aces.

(2) Waterloo Warriors vs. (3) York Lions
OUA Semifinal – Friday, Feb. 20 @ 5:30 p.m.

The Waterloo Warriors (13-7) eked out a five-set win against the Western Mustangs in the OUA quarter-finals, and now face the York Lions (13-7) in the semis after the teams split their regular season series, with each side earning a 3-1 road victory.

After sliding into the playoffs on a mini two-game losing streak, the Warriors got the job done against Western thanks to a strong performance from second-team all-star Zachary Doherty. He led the way with 22.5 points, 18 kills and three service aces. Also turning in a solid game was second-team all-star Jordan McConkey, who had a team-leading three blocks to go along with six digs. The Warriors will need more production from their lone first-team all-star Jordan Dyck; the conference leader in blocks did not have a single one against Western.

Besides McMaster, York brings the longest winning streak into the Final Four, having won six games in a row, and seven of their last eight, dating back to the regular season.

For York, First-Team All-Star Ray Szeto finished second in the conference with 271 kills and will need to continue being the catalyst for York's offence. The Lions will also need a strong performance from OUA Rookie of the Year Josh Henderson; he led the team with 22 kills in the 3-1 quarter-final win against Queen's. The pair also combined for 35 of York's 56 kills in the team's 3-1 win against the Warriors in their season opener.

Something else the Lions and Warriors have in common: they are the only two teams remaining to have won a set against McMaster, both having lost 3-1 and 3-0 against the Marauders in their two meetings.

The semifinal winners will advance to the OUA gold medal game on Saturday, Feb. 21 at 8 p.m., while the two semifinal losers go for bronze earlier in the day at 5:30 p.m.

The gold, silver, and bronze medal winners all receive berths in the CIS National Championships taking place from Feb. 26-28 in Sasktatoon, Sask.

Be sure to catch the action in-person or watch every game live on OUA.tv!