Alumni curse is no more for Marauders

Fraser Caldwell

Sports Editor

Alumni Hall has not been kind to the McMaster Marauders over the years.

Veterans of the current crop of Marauders had yet to experience a victory at Western’s converted theatre. The yearly London fixture on the Maroon and Grey’s calendar is consistently penciled in as one of the toughest tests the team will face all season.

But for the first time in a generation, the Marauders can mark that imposing contest with a ‘W’.

The exact length of McMaster’s drought at Alumni Hall is unknown – online result archives stretch back only as far as 2004 – but one observer close to the team believes that the Maroon and Grey’s Jan. 28 victory over the Mustangs was the first one in London for more than a decade.

According to the Marauders’ co-captain and libero Meagan Nederveen, the key to her squad’s success in shaking off the demons of Alumni Hall was their ability to focus solely on their game plan. With only the approach on their mind, McMaster’s defensive stalwart believes that the venue became irrelevant.

“To be honest, we had one game plan when we went into the match and that was – as soon as warm ups were over – to treat Alumni Hall as if it was Burridge,” said Nederveen. “We wanted to erase that idea of the home court advantage, to understand the court and go into it as if we were playing at home.

“Because I think that was the only way that we were going to be able to play the game that we needed to in order to beat them.”

The landmark victory looked to be well on course through the first two sets on Jan. 28, as the Marauders clinched both to build a commanding lead. But two loose sets in the third and fourth allowed the Mustangs to roar back into the contest, and appeared to give the home side the edge of momentum heading into the decisive fifth frame.

However, it was the visitors who would prove the sharper side in the shortened fifth, as the Marauders reeled off a 10-2 run to start the set and effectively end the match. Western would enjoy a surge of sorts in the late going, but would be unable to overcome McMaster’s wide lead.

On the subject of her team’s ability to regroup heading into the fifth, Nederveen indicated that the sudden death nature of the deciding game provides its own measure of momentum.

“I think it’s easy to find the energy to play a fifth set,” said the veteran libero. “That sense of finality has a big impact on your energy level when you’re out there. In terms of the third and fourth sets, I think we had a couple of mental and tactical lapses, and that happens.

“But we discussed that a lot as a team and I think it’s something that we’re going to move forward from and learn a lot from. At the same time, I think it showed a lot of character on our part to come back after dropping two sets and fight it out for that fifth one.”

A day after their Jan. 28 victory at Alumni Hall, the Marauders added another win to their tally with a straight-set triumph over the lowly (3-13) Windsor Lancers at the St. Denis Centre. The lopsided win improved McMaster’s record to 9-6 and stretched their midseason winning streak to six games.

Next up for the Maroon and Grey is an intriguing rematch with the Brock Badgers on Feb. 3. Animosity is a constant between the Marauders and Badgers, making each of their contests a regional grudge match.

Add to the usual tension the fact that the two squads find themselves tied for fifth-place in the conference standings and you have the recipe for a classic Friday night encounter at the Burridge Gym.

For her part, Nederveen believes that her squad will not lack for motivation with the prospect of confronting the Badgers, and that a win on Feb. 3 would prove to be a crucial statement of intent on the Marauders’ part.

“It’s not as if we need extra motivation to play Brock, although it’ll be nice to be back at home,” said the libero of the upcoming match. “That motivation is definitely already there. I’m excited to play them, everyone is excited to play them, and I think that we have to send a message back to Brock.”

The match against the Badgers will mark McMaster’s final home contest of the conference season, before the team travels to the Big Smoke to conclude their schedule against the provincial powerhouses from York and Toronto.

While the Marauders’ final stretch stands as a tough final test, Nederveen dismisses the importance of individual opponents to her squad’s approach.

“I don’t think it matters,” said the defender of McMaster’s upcoming opposition. “Every game is a separate opportunity and a separate challenge in different ways. Whether it’s a matter of preparing mentally or preparing tactically, every team in their own way presents a challenge.

“Our season typically finishes on the road. I think that finishing off with York and Toronto is a good way to enter the playoffs and to fight our way into a playoff position.”

The next round of that fight comes this weekend on home court, as the Brock Badgers roll into the Burridge Gym on Feb. 3. The Friday night match is slated to start at 6 p.m.