Mac deals Ohio State second straight loss
If any reassurance was needed, the Marauders proved on Saturday that their New Year's Eve win over the Ohio State Buckeyes was no fluke.
If any reassurance was needed, the Marauders proved on Saturday that their New Year's Eve win over the Ohio State Buckeyes was no fluke.
The top-ranked team in Canada, McMaster led early and often in a match that served as Ohio State's season opener, defeating the Buckeyes in four sets (25-20, 24-26, 25-18, 25-16) in Columbus.
Leading the way for the Marauders was veteran right side Jayson McCarthy, who killed 13 of 23 hitting attempts with just a single error (.522), while adding an ace and two blocks for 16 points. His fellow outside, Stephen Maar was the game's high scorer, with 18.5 points that included 13 kills and four aces.
Much as they had on New Year's Eve, the two teams played side-out volleyball to open Saturday's match, with Mac holding a slender 16-14 lead at the first set technical timeout after a hitting error from OSU's Nic Szerszen. Neither side was able to carve out a decisive lead, until the Marauders reeled off three straight points for 20-18 to force the Buckeyes into a timeout.
Ohio State drew within a point, but Mac went on a four-point run to clinch the set when Maar followed his own kill with an ace to the back line for 25-20.
Trading points yet again, the two teams probed for a lead as they moved toward the technical timeout in the second set, with Mac leading 16-14 at the break after a McCarthy kill. Side-out volleyball remained until Ohio State levelled at 24, as the Buckeyes promptly won the next two points and squared the match at a set apiece when Mac's Danny Demyanenko fell into a double block.
Shaking off the setback quickly, the Marauders staked themselves to an early lead in the third set, with Maar thumping down an ace to force the Buckeyes into a timeout trailing 5-2. That lead was quickly recouped, but McMaster built another by the time of the technical timeout, leading 16-12 when Ohio State's Miles Johnson committed a service error.
Momentum stayed firmly in the corner of the Marauders, whose lead swelled to seven before they ultimately claimed the set on a wonky set from Buckeye Christy Blough.
Ohio State hung tough early in the fourth set, but McMaster opened a four-point lead at 14-10 with the help of a pair of Buckeye hitting errors. After taking a 16-12 advantage into the technical timeout, the Marauders stayed steady to force their opponents to burn their second timeout trailing by six points at 19-13.
A kill from Christian Franceschi moved Ohio State within five points, but that was as close as the hosts would get, as the Marauders embarked on a 5-1 run to seal the match, winning it on a kill from middle Alex Elliott.
Source: McMaster Marauders
