By: Graham West
Returning to the U Sports National Championships, the McMaster men’s volleyball team suffered a tough loss against the second-seeded Trinity Western University Spartans in the opening round; a familiar foe ending the Marauders’ hopes at winning another national medal following last year’s bronze.
This sent the team to the consolation semifinals where they took a heartbreaking loss in a rematch of the provincial finals against the Queen’s University Gaels. Even though the outcome of the tournament did not go the Marauders’ way, they still gave it their all to finish off the season.
Going into their first game, the team knew it would be a tough road getting past Trinity Western as they’ve played before in the national tournament. The Marauders, following their Ontario University Athletics silver medal, was given a disadvantaged position as the seventh seed in the tournament, setting them up to face No. 2 Trinity.
Mac was well aware of this possibly-discouraging matchup but tried to use the familiarity with their opponent to their advantage.
“They’re obviously a very good team and they’ve had some serious success in the past,” starting outside hitter Andrew Richards said. “We’re going into this the underdogs and we’re going to take that mindset and use it to our advantage. For us we have nothing to lose and we’re just going to give it all we have.”
Ultimately this was not enough to give the maroon and grey the win, losing 3-1 to their British Columbian foes. Despite the early exit from the tournament, the week did feature a bright spot.
🏐🚹 @McMasterSports head coach Dave Preston reacts to his team loss against the @TWUSpartans // L’entraîneur de McMaster Dave Preston réagit à la défaite des siens contre Trinity Western #ChampSZN pic.twitter.com/XTwrJRexhq
— U SPORTS Volleyball (@USPORTS_VBall) March 16, 2019
Over the weekend, Richards was awarded All-Canadian Second Team honours for his contributions to the Marauders’ success on the court this year, placing in the top 10 in Canada in aces per set (0.51) while leading his team with 185 kills over the season.
Richards was also awarded the Dale Iwanoczko Award for being an outstanding student-athlete and demonstrating excellence off the court. Richards is the first Marauder to win the award since its inaugural year in 1994.
“It’s a good way to end my five-year journey at university,” Richards said. “It’s an individual award, but I really can’t take all the credit for it.”
“I’ve had some amazing mentors and leaders in my life that have always challenged me to do that, so without them I really would have never been recognized for something like this.” Richards added.
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Richards’ mindset going into nationals was the same one which has made him such a great player in the first place: a mindset predicated on fierce competitiveness, mutual respect from his teammates and a genuine love of the game. This was Richards’ last chance at competing for a national championship and he took the opportunity just like he takes all of his games.
“I was talking to one of my coaches today, and he wanted me to sit down and think about once I’m done from Mac, in a couple of years, how do I want to think back and remember these last couple of days,” Richards said. “For me, I want to look back and know that I enjoyed my last matches and competed hard and that I was a good teammate and regardless of the outcome.”
This year marks the last year Richards will be wearing maroon for the men's volleyball team as his years of eligibility run out. While the team’s finish at nationals may not have been ideal, they still left their all on the court. Richards, and the teams he has been a part of, have left behind a tremendous legacy of numerous records, medals and trophies, and is one that will surely not be forgotten.
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After falling to the Queen’s University Gaels for the Ontario University Athletics Forsyth Cup, the McMaster men’s volleyball team are headed to the U Sports Men’s Volleyball Championships, but not exactly where they would like to be.
For the first time in seven years, the Marauders are heading to nationals, not as OUA champions. Although surely grateful that they still get to compete at the national level, the disappointment is still there. After a change in OUA men’s volleyball structure, the men’s team had to play their final game on the Gaels’ home court, despite being the number one seed.
The close matchup saw the Marauders and Gaels play five sets. After ending the first set 19-25, the Marauders bounced back strong, winning the second and third set 25-19 and 25-23, respectively. Unfortunately, the Gaels were in the comfort of their own home and were able to outscore the Marauders in both the fourth and fifth set, 16-25 and 13-15.
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This result landed the Marauders ranked seventh place going into nationals in Quebec City this weekend. Not only is this McMaster's lowest seed at the national tournament since Mac hosted in 2007, but their first opponents are also their longtime rivals, British Columbia’s Trinity Western University Spartans.
The number two seeded team has faced Mac several times in the national playoffs, and for the last four years, they have outplayed Mac. For First Team All-Star left side Andrew Richards, this is the last Canadian university volleyball championships he will ever play in. So hopefully the Marauders will be able to shake the curse and come out victorious against the Spartans.
First serve is scheduled for this Friday at 6:00 p.m.
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By: Coby Zucker
Coming into the Ontario University Athletics playoffs as the fourth-ranked team in Canada puts a target on your back. Add to that a record-breaking six-year stretch where McMaster has taken home the Forsyth Cup for first place in the OUA playoffs, and you now know which team is the one to beat.
And yet, pressure is nothing new for head coach Dave Preston who has been leading the team since 2002.
“The way our program and the way I deal with [pressure] is that I don't think that there's anybody outside of our team room that expects more out of our program than us,” said coach Preston. “So I think when teams start to feel pressure, it's because the external expectations become greater than what the internal expectations can handle. There isn't anybody who expects more out of us than us. So pressure is not an issue.”
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Playing on such a decorated team, it is safe to assume the Marauders have lofty expectations for themselves with none loftier than those of fifth-year hitter Andrew Richards, who will be playing in his fifth and final OUA playoffs this season. Richards welcomes the competition and the opportunity to leave it all on the floor.
“I definitely know teams want to beat us with our history of having the success that we've had in Ontario,” said Richards. “I'm sure it would be a sweet feeling for someone to try and knock us off but that motivates us even more to know that any time we play a team they're going to bring the best they have and they're going to be motivated to take us down. So it's something that we welcome almost. We want other teams to play their best, which in turn will make us play our best.”
One game into their playoff run, the Marauders’ opponents’ bests have not been good enough. The York University Lions certainly looked motivated this past Saturday coming into Burridge Gym taking the first set 25-27, but their momentum was quickly stifled.
The Marauders proceeded to take the next three sets (25-23, 25-15, 25-19) in a mirror of their last meeting with the Lions in the regular season. Next, it is onto Kingston to face the University of Windsor Lancers for the semi-finals on March 8.
♂️🏐 | RECAP
@MACMVB edged a tight second set and powered on from there, beating York in four sets to advance to the @ouasport Final Four for the ninth straight year. #GoMacGo
READ ⬇️https://t.co/20sI8BdneC
— McMaster Marauders (@McMasterSports) March 3, 2019
For the first time in seven years, McMaster will not be hosting the OUA Final Four due to formatting changes that no longer guarantee home court for the overall highest-seeded team. Continuing their seven-year streak will potentially require they face off in the finals against the Queen’s University Gaels, the only team against whom the Marauders have a losing record in the regular season, in Queen’s own gym.
“We've kind of adapted to this road warrior mentality where we'll go into anyone's gym and do our thing,” said Richards. “We sort of feel comfort in the sense of being uncomfortable, if that make sense? We want to sleep in hotels, we want to play in different gyms, we want to be in front of other fans. It's just the kind of identity our team's going to take on here in the playoffs.”
It remains to be seen how the Marauders will adapt to this wrinkle in their era of dominance. They certainly still have all the tools they need to succeed, including seasoned players, a veteran coach and an all-star-calibre player in Richards who, along with fellow fifth-years Connor Santoni and Jeffrey Driediger, is looking to put his final stamp on a McMaster legacy. The Marauders themselves are not lacking in confidence.
“I love the way our guys are playing right now,” said coach Preston. “I love our style. I think we probably have another level or two left in us to play at. But the way our guys play? The style we play? The passion that we play with? It's everything a coach could ask for.”
Competition remains tough as the Marauders head into their final weekend of the OUA post-season, with the Lancers, the Gaels and the University of Toronto Varsity Blues all looking to displace the reigning champions. It all goes down March 8 and 9 in Kingston.
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The McMaster men’s volleyball team is heading to the Ontario University Athletics volleyball semifinals for the 15th-straight season. After defeating the York University Lions 3-1 in the OUA quarter-finals, the Marauders are heading into the Final Four ranked fifth in the nation.
Several Marauders were also honoured with OUA recognition, with outside hitter Matt Passalent taking home the highest honour, OUA West Player of the Year. Fifth-year Andrew Richards took home the Dale Iwanoczko Award for his work off the court. Passalent and Richards were both named First Team All-Stars, while Craig Ireland was named to the Second Team. First-year middle Tyler Pavelic’s season was recognized with a spot on the All-Rookie team.
With six straight OUA titles, the journey to their seventh begins this weekend when the Marauders face the University of Windsor Lancers in a semi-final match-up. If they win, they will go on to play in the final game for the OUA Forsyth Cup. The game will be on Saturday, March 9 at 1 p.m. at Queen’s University.
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After defeating the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees in the OUA finals to capture the Critelli Cup, the Marauders are heading to Ryerson University to play in the U Sports National Championships for the second-straight season. With the No. 2 seed in the tournament, the Marauders will face the No. 7 Concordia University Stingers.
Led by Critelli Cup game MVP Hilary Hanaka, the Marauders hope to see a different result in this year's National Championships compared to last year. The ladies headed out to Regina last year where they unfortunately did not finish where they wanted to. Losing in the first round to McGill University, the Marauders were not prepared for the level of play, but are hoping to see different results this time around.
Already defeating the Carleton University Ravens during the 2019 OUA semi-finals, who were also the 2018 U Sports Champions, the idea of going straight to the top does not seem so far off. Tip-off time is at 12 p.m. Thursday, March 7.
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Both the men's volleyball team and women's basketball team took the weekend by storm with two victories each, while the men's basketball and women's volleyball teams won one out of their two games. Here are the stars of the weekend.
The second-year is no stranger to the Pita Pit Athlete of the Week award, most recently winning the weekend honour on Nov. 15, 2018, when she scored a career-high of 24 points. This weekend, she poured in 19 points for the Marauders in both of the team’s wins. Gates who was called to the 2018 Ontario University Athletics All-Rookie team, shot 50 per cent from the field and 40 per cent from the three, as well as collecting four rebounds in the win over Wilfrid Laurier University. Against the University of Guelph, she hit three of eight shots from three, and gave the team four steals and four rebounds.
Right side @MattColeP from @MACMVB and @macwbball guard Sarah Gates are the @PitaPitCanada Athletes of the Week. @mcmasteru #GoMacGo
READ ⬇️https://t.co/u7nAO5cvSh
— McMaster Marauders (@McMasterSports) January 14, 2019
After sitting out due to injury, Passalent hit the court for the first time of the regular season and did not miss a beat, being recognized as the Pita Pit Athlete of the Week for his efforts. Facing two U Sports top-10 opponents this weekend, the Marauders took home two victories and Passalent was a big part of both. The fourth-year had 10 kills, two aces and a block assist for 12.5 points Saturday against University of Windsor, and 15 kills and 18.5 points against Western University, which bumped them up to #4 in the national rankings.
There are 4️⃣ @mcmasteru teams ranked in this week's @usportsca Top 10s, with @MACMVB and men's wrestling both moving up two spots!
♂️🏐⬆️4️⃣
♀️🏀↔️4️⃣
🤼♂️⬆️6️⃣
🤼♀️↔️9️⃣#GoMacGo pic.twitter.com/qqPgOWV8jK— McMaster Marauders (@McMasterSports) January 15, 2019
In the Marauders’ second victory of the New Year, coming against the Guelph Gryphons, McCulloch contributed 23 points shooting 64 per cent from the field. The 97-80 road win seemed like just the fire the Marauders needed to bring it home and win again. Unfortunately, the Laurier Golden Hawks had other plans. Despite the fifth-year guard being the second highest leading scorer of the game with 15 points, the Golden Hawks came for revenge and defeated the Marauders 87-73 at home.
Narin led the Marauders offensively in both games against Windsor and Western this weekend. With 17 kills and 23 points, including five aces and a solo block, she helped Mac defeat Western on Saturday night in the fifth set. Narin, a right side, also led offensively the night before in the loss to Windsor, with 14 kills, three aces and a block assist for a team- and match-high 17.5 points.
This weekend McMaster basketball will face the Lakehead University Timberwolves in back-to-back home games this weekend, with the women playing at 6:00 p.m. and the men at 8:00 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. Both volleyball teams will then take over Burridge on Sunday, as the women and men host the Brock University Badgers this Sunday at 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. respectively.
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While most students use the holiday break to catch up with family or to get reacquainted with the feeling of sleeping in, the McMaster men’s volleyball team has been playing against top international talent to stay sharp during their time off.
First, they headed to Long Beach, California to play the top National Collegiate Athletic Association volleyball team, Long Beach State, and No. 12 University of California Santa Barbara. This marks the third year that the two teams have spent the holidays playing each other, and for head coach Dave Preston, there is no better way to prepare for the second half of the season. For him, getting experience playing against one of the continent’s best teams with inconsequential competitive cost is extremely beneficial for his team.
“These competitive opportunities are awesome, with almost no competitive cost. Once you establish these relationships it's a win-win for us,” said Preston. “We get to play at a really high level, and we don't have to worry about showing our systems and our game plans to a team that we may have to play later on in the season.”
Prior to the trip, the Marauders were undefeated when in international competition, having defeated both Long Beach State and the Ohio State Buckeyes. This time around, the Marauders returned to Canadian soil without a win, yet they still managed to gain so much more.
“We didn't go out there for results, because if we're looking for easy wins, we would have scheduled differently,” said Preston. “We did go there to elevate our level of play and we did just that.”
With nine different performance standards that the team measures, ranging from their side out percentage, the number of digs and kills they get, the Marauders saw an increase in all nine performance indicators.
So although the average person who sees the standings and does not see any wins may not understand the benefit of the matches, from the team’s perspective it was a success, especially with just two middles.
The lack of players due to injury is something the Marauders have been struggling with during the first half of their season. Although they boast a 6-2 regular season record, the injuries of Craig Ireland and Matt Passalent have made the first half quite a challenge. But fifth-year Connor Santoni has risen to the occasion, playing both libero and left side.
“We've also had to rely a lot on both middles, third-year Josh Ecklund and freshman Tyler Pavelic, who played almost every point in our Long Beach [games],” said Preston. “Now that we're able to reintroduce are returning guys from injury, it's been a little bit easier.”
The warm-up has started for the North America Challenge. @MACMVB vs. Long Beach St. in about 30 minutes. pic.twitter.com/QzENiM3EQ2
— McMaster Marauders (@McMasterSports) December 30, 2018
The return of Ireland and Passalent had an impact in the Marauders second international tournament this break against top Polish team Jastrzebski Wegiel. Coming out strong with a 3-1 win in their first match the Marauders got back to feeling like themselves. The maroon and grey followed that up with another win, trading sets with JSW until ultimately pulling out the win in five sets.
For Preston, win or lose these international matches give the team lessons that go beyond the court.
“One thing these young men experience is the effect traveling has on your body,” said Preston. “We're going to have to travel if we're fortunate in the second half of the season to get into the playoffs.”
With the Ontario University Athletics Championship being hosted by the top team in the East division, and the U Sports National Championship heading to Laval University, understanding the effect traveling has and how to manage hydration and nutrition for their bodies during that travel is crucial.
“We benefited so much from playing against different styles of volleyball,” Preston said. “In the U.S., it is a really serve-and-block kind of system and Long Beach is probably one of the fastest offences we've ever seen. While JSW is extremely different, as they are very heavy on the execution. So they're two different extremes, but having to adjust and know how to play different styles is a great experience for us.”
Through it all, the Marauders still have their main focus on conference matches. With two of the top OUA teams in the West coming into their house Jan. 12 and 13.
“We have to be prepared for that, no ifs, ands or buts,” said Preston. “Every single thing we played over the holidays was in preparation for the Western [University] and Windsor [University] series.”
Never losing focus on their end goal, a national championship, the Marauders are now more prepared and ready to go for the games that matter most.
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After finishing the first half of the season 4-7, it seemed as if the Marauders would need a serious holiday miracle to win again. Their first game of the 2019 schedule was against the No. 9 nationally-ranked Wilfrid Laurier University Golden Hawks, and winning did not seem on the horizon. However, behind the leadership of veteran Connor Gilmore, who had 22 points, they pulled off the upset, winning 79-67. Hopefully, the good start will follow them into the rest of the year as they face the University of Guelph Gryphons this Friday, who boast the same 5-7 record, and the Golden Hawks again the following night who will surely be looking for revenge.
Leaving Laurier with the dub! 💪🏼 pic.twitter.com/m5oFazPFtf
— McMaster Basketball (@mcmastermbb) January 5, 2019
For the women’s team, winning comes easy. After defeating the Golden Hawks with a whopping 82-62 win, it seemed as if they did not skip a beat in the new year. Linnaea Harper led the team in scoring with 17 points, and the women bumped up one spot in the national rankings now sitting in fourth. With Guelph and Laurier again to beat this weekend, the Marauders will hope to maintain their four-game winning streak and improve on their 10-2 record.
The men’s volleyball team used international competition to improve their game over the holidays. Although they did not leave Long Beach, California with a win going into the New Year, they saw overall team improvement, which is exactly what they went there to do. These improvements were on display the following week as they took on a top Polish team, Jastrzebski Wegiel, and defeated them twice (3-1 and 3-2). The No. 6 nationally-ranked Marauders will now return to conference competition against No. 7 University of Windsor Lancers and No. 8 Western University Mustangs this weekend.
The women’s team did not take on any non-conference competition this holiday season, although during the break they added top talent setter and defensive specialist Christina Stratford, and setter Nikolina Malic for the 2019 recruiting class. The Marauders will be hitting the court for the first time since Nov. 30 this weekend, facing the 3-6 Lancers and the 5-4 Mustangs. Currently sitting at 5-3, these games will determine if McMaster will stand out in Ontario this season or fall down the rankings.
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By: Coby Zucker
With the departure of veteran outside hitter Brandon Koppers after capping out his eligibility last season, a void was created in the McMaster men’s volleyball team. Starting the season with a blistering 6-1 record, it’s safe to say the Marauders are managing well enough, thanks in part to the dependable play of third-year setter, David Doty.
Recognition was quick to come to Doty, who received the McMaster Pita Pit Athlete of the Week award following his strong early performances against the University of Toronto Varsity Blues and the highly-ranked University of Windsor Lancers, both in three-set sweeps.
“It wasn’t really something I was expecting,” said Doty. “I think I was more concerned about coming out of Windsor with a win. Going into someone’s gym when they’re sixth- or fifth-ranked in the country, and you have a chance to take them down in their gym, it kind of takes over your mind over your own personal [performance]. I mean, it was nice to have that recognition and I’m very thankful for it, but I think it’s more concerning myself with coming out of Windsor with a big win.”
As the starting setter for the Marauders, Doty is responsible for leading the offence on the court.
“Coach [Dave Preston] and I, we meet twice a week or so,” Doty said. “We go over how we want to run an offence against a team. We have a pretty good idea of how we like to run our offence. I think we have this idea of, if something’s working, just keep going at it. If something’s not working, we adjust and go from there.”
But even the best-laid plans need to be executed. You can toss up a pass, but someone’s got to smack it down. In the early parts of the season, that someone has been outside hitter, Andrew Richards. Second in Ontario University Athletics in hitting percentage at .374, Richards has been a force to be reckoned with over the team’s first seven games. The chemistry between Doty and Richards is hardly new; the two have been playing together over the past six years, both getting their start at Oakridge Secondary School in London, Ontario.
“Over the years it’s gotten easier and easier connecting with him cause we’ve played together that much,” said Doty. “We kind of just know what each other are doing. And he’s a freak human. He’s able to get up, to jump to balls I don’t expect him to, but you know every time he gets up there, he seems to cut the ball off at the highest point possible.”
Doty was quick in pointing the off-the-court leadership of Richards, along with the team’s other fifth-year, Connor Santoni, who is currently sporting a handlebar moustache, matching Doty’s own. Previously acting as a utility player for the team, Santoni has started to see increased playing time in his final season.
“[Richards] and Santoni, the leaders of this team, the two fifth-year guys, they’ve always done a good job of leading us,” Doty said. “They put their blood, sweat and tears into this program, so we appreciate everything they do.”
And needless to say, that effort has been paying off. Despite Doty’s assertion that the competition this year is fiercer than ever, with most teams in striking distance of one another, the Marauders opened the season with two sweeps. The Queen’s University Gaels were able to put a damper on the early momentum after a tough 2-3 loss.
“Well the first two sets against Queen’s, they played outstanding,” said Doty. “They were passing well, they were digging some balls we weren’t really expecting them to be digging up. And we made too many errors, which is why we lost that game.”
Men's Volleyball -- @santoni11 had a career night, as @MACMVB rolled to a fourth straight sweep at the expense of the Guelph Gryphons Saturday. #GoMacGo https://t.co/JCwBflcLEx
— McMaster Athletics (@McMasterSports) November 25, 2018
That game seemed to only be a slight hitch for the Marauders who have since bounced back with four straight three-set sweeps over the Royal Military College of Canada, Trent University, the University of Waterloo, and the University of Guelph. So far, Doty and the rest of the team have been putting together a run that is shaping up to be a fitting send-off for the team’s two fifth-years.
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It was a big weekend up north for the second-year guard. In the first of the women’s team’s two weekend contests, Gates led the team in scoring with a career 24 points in their 91-44 beat down against the Nipissing University Lakers. The next night, she did it again, bringing in another 24 points to help the team win a much closer game against the Laurentian University Voyageurs. Her all-star performance awarded her the Pita Pit Athlete of the Week. Next up, Gates and the Marauders face the Ryerson University Rams and University of Toronto Varsity Blues,where they hope to keep up their undefeated overall record.
C/O OUA.tv
After starting 3-0 and upsetting the nationally ranked Brock University Badgers, the last thing the men’s team wanted was to lose to the Lakers. Unfortunately, they were not prepared for the cold battle, and fell short 71-80. Although they lost, senior Gilmore remained a team leader, bringing in 16 points and eight rebounds. The next night, winning was still not on the horizon as the team almost made a comeback, but fell 80-74 to the Voyageurs. Gilmore once again was a team leader and brought in 16 points 12 rebounds and three assists. Hopefully, Gilmore can help lead the Marauders to win against Mac head coach Patrick Tatham’s ex-team and nationally-ranked Ryerson, before a tilt with the Varsity Blues.
The senior led the men’s team with 23 kills and and overall 25 points in the 2-3 loss to the Queen's University Gaels. The next night, he did it again with 15 kills, five aces and a solo block for a match high of 21, his efforts leading the Marauders to defeat the Royal Military College of Canada Paladins. The Marauders improved to an overall 3-1 record, though they dropped on the national rankings, currently sitting at No. 4 as they head into their upcoming game against the Trent University Excalibur in Peterborough this weekend.
Photo from Silhouette Photo Archives
The women started off their weekend with a 3-1 win against the Gaels. Leading them in their victory was middle Kranics, who brought in 14.5 points that included eight kills, four aces and two and a half blocks. They did it again the next night against the Paladins in a 3-0 win where Kranics helped out, bringing in five kills. The team now sits at 2-2 and hope to change that this weekend against the Excalibur.
C/O OUA.tv
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McMaster is on a run of complete dominance.
In their last eight matches, the Marauders have swept their opponents seven times. On top of this, the team is currently coming off their eighth consecutive win.
“I think that the results have been a by-product of us just doing what we want to do from a tactical point,” said head coach Dave Preston.
And from a tactical point, the Marauders have made remarkable ground. They are serving well, passing well, and more importantly, playing defense well—which is a major component of their game that Preston was concerned about in previous weeks.
“We made 41 digs in three sets against Toronto, and we were averaging six digs a set a couple of weeks ago. So we’re now almost double that,” said Preston.
Preston credited the team’s huge improvements to their commitment to the sport.
When they are faced with a challenge, or are faced with an aspect of their game that they are not pleased with, they know how to respond.
“These guys never cease to amaze me, and we’ve really focused on it and have really, really improved—but we’re still not where we want to be,” said Preston.
While the coaches have seen some impressive things both on and off the court, with the likes of Peter Khodkevych and Andrew Richards coming in as freshmen and pulling their weight while some critical teammates are dealing with injuries, the team has not yet reached the standard of play that they want to hit yet.
When it comes to their performance so far at this point of the season, Preston feels as though he is very pleased with what he has seen, but he is nowhere near satisfied.
“We’re not close in a couple of areas … not as close as we want to be. And our guys know that, so the best part of these guys is I never have to spend a lot of time or energy motivating them to get going on this. They do that themselves,” said Preston.
The captains of the team are also playing a big role in keeping the team on track, as they are trying to apply three areas of focus to each individual athlete on the team.
“The critical pieces for us is our decision making, our communication and our execution,” said Preston.
“They are allowing our guys who are pulling a fair amount of weight to not feel like they are doing this alone...conceptually for a team, its taking the ‘me’ to a ‘we’ and it’s kind of cool.”
The Marauders have just one more game left until the exam break begins, and after exams, the team will get a much- needed reset period for about a week until they travel to Florida to compete in the Alden Cup tournament.
The team will leave for the eight-day trip on Dec. 27, where they will get to be host to eight teams, with seven out of those eight teams ranked within the top ten in Canada.
“It gives us a really good look at what other teams are doing,” said Preston.
Some notable teams that will be making the trip to Florida in late December include the Dalhousie Tigers, the Manitoba Bisons, and the No. 1 ranked team in the CIS, the Alberta Golden Bears.
“This year we’re doing an East vs. West challenge, so the four east teams are playing the four west teams,” said Preston.
The tournament will essentially serve as a precursor to the national tournament, as the Marauders will get to see and play against some of their rivals from Canada West, which will be beneficial for the purpose of information gathering for the coaches and players heading into the pivotal point of their season.
“It’s arguably the best tournament in North America right now,” said Preston.
The tournament officially starts on Jan. 1.
Until then, the Marauders will be taking care of business as usual, as they are set to travel to Guelph on Nov. 29.
