Courtesy of Laval University sports information office / Photo credit Yan Doublet

QUEBEC CITY (CIS) – The third-seeded McMaster Marauders came out victorious of the Battle of Ontario, winning the first semifinal matchup of the CIS men’s volleyball championship by a score of 3-0 over conference-rivals Western Mustangs Saturday evening in Quebec City.

For the Marauders, it will be their first-ever appearance in the national championship final, their best result being a fourth-place finish. The OUA champions will face the winner of the Laval-Brandon game Sunday at 4:30 pm EST. As for the Mustangs, they will face the loser of the second semifinal in the bronze medal match Sunday at 1:00 pm EST.

“Our fundamentals were very good today. Stephen Maar came in and did a very great job. We didn’t serve very in the first set. We got lucky with some defence. We started to pick up our serving in the second set and we served pretty well down the stretch,” said McMaster’s head coach Dave Preston.

“We were very familiar with our opponent. We knew that our game plan was pretty solid, but I was really proud with the way we executed,” continued the CIS coach of the year.

“They really dug a lot of balls. We came out a little nervous but we played tight in the first and second sets. Every time we play those guys it’s the same. We get so close, but they are very good and very composed after 20. It was the difference in the match,” said Mustangs’ head coach Jim Sage.

“If we could have stolen this second set, we could have maybe turned the tide and created a good match. I give full credit to McMaster, they played well, they executed a good game plan and we just couldn’t keep up,” Sage added.

Both teams showed their power in the first set. On one hand, CIS rookie of the year Dany Demyanenko (Toronto, ON), Jori Mantha (Vanier, ON) and Jayson McCarthy (Oshawa, ON) multiplied kills for McMaster. On the other, OUA MVP Garrett May (Toronto, ON) and Justin Scapinello (London, ON) responded effectively. The Marauders were more regular though, and the Ontario champions led 16-12 at the technical pause. Western brought back the mark to a 21-21 tie, but a couple of service errors didn’t help them. In the end, McMaster took the first set 25-23.

The second frame was equally tight. But this time, instead of great kills, it was defensive play that took center stage. Demyanenko executed three successful blocks in a short span of time. Western also used this defensive weapon, a solo block from Alan Screaton (Calgary, AB) bringing the Mustangs ahead 16-12 at the break. The OUA finalists were unable to maintain the lead, as they saw the Marauders tying the mark at 21-21. Opportunists, the Marauders took advantage and grabbed a 2-0 match lead by a score of 27-25.

The third set was just like the previous two. Neither team could distance its opponent and as a result, McMaster was only up by two at the technical pause. As it was the case throughout the match, the Marauders found a way to escape near the end, even when the Mustangs came back to only one point behind. Dany Demyanenko closed the contest with yet another kill, giving his team the set 25-21 as well as the match.

Outside hitter Jayson McCarthy won the player of the match award for the Marauders, while Alan Screaton deserved the same honour for Western.

Championship website: http://english.cis-sic.ca/championships/mvball/index

STAT LEADERS

McMaster
Kills: Jayson McCarthy (15), Dany Demyanenko (10)
Points: Jayson McCarthy (17), Dany Demyanenko (12)
Blocks: Dany Demyanenko, Tyson Alexander, Jayson McCarthy (2)
Digs: Jayson McCarthy (11)
Service aces: Jori Mantha (1)
Player of the match: Jayson McCarthy

Western
Kills: Garrett May (10), Alan Screaton (8)
Points: Garrett May, Justin Scapinello (11)
Blocks: Alan Screaton, Justin Scapinello, Luke Sim (2)
Digs: Sean McKay (9)
Service aces: Justin Scapinello (2)
Player of the match: Alan Screaton

CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE & RESULTS

Friday, March 1
12:30 Quarter-final #1: McMaster 3, UNB 0 (25-23, 25-17, 25-14)
14:30 Quarter-final #2: Western 3, Trinity Western 2, (26-28, 23-25, 31-29, 27-25, 15-9)
18:00 Quarter-final #3: Brandon 3, Montreal 1 (23-25, 25-18, 25-19, 25-20)
20:00 Quarter-final #4: Laval 3, Alberta 1, (15-25, 25-22, 25-21, 27-25)

Saturday, March 2
12:30 Consolation #1: Trinity Western 3, UNB 2 (19-25, 25-23, 25-20, 20-25, 15-12)
14:30 Consolation #2: Alberta 3, Montreal 0 (25-11, 25-12, 25-19)
18:00 Semifinal #1: McMaster 3, Western 0 (25-23, 27-25, 25-21)
20:00 Semifinal #2: Brandon vs. Laval (www.CIS-SIC.tv)

Sunday, March 3
11:00 5th place: Trinity Western vs. Alberta (www.CIS-SIC.tv)
13:00 Bronze medal: Western vs. TBD (www.CIS-SIC.tv)
16:30 Championship final: McMaster vs. TBD (www.CIS-SIC.tv)

-CIS-