C/O Colin Wouda, McMaster Sports
The men’s volleyball team make OUA history once more, capping off the perfect final season for star veteran, Jordan Pereira
The McMaster Marauders men’s volleyball team is finally back on top of Ontario. In a back and forth battle starting in the 2005-2006 season, either the Queens Gaels or the Marauders have won the provincial title every year. McMaster currently holds nine titles while Queens holds the other six. In the previous two seasons the Gaels brought home the OUA title, but after an incredibly strong showing this past year, the Marauders have taken the trophy back to Hamilton.
With stars Sam Cooper and Jordan Pereira, the team was able to cap off their regular season with a perfect 12-0 record. Heading into the OUA playoffs the Marauders had some trouble with the Windsor Lancers, but managed to pull away before beating the Brock Badgers in the west division final and the Toronto Varsity Blues in the Forsyth Cup final.
“The whole playoff run was a good battle . . . Getting to play the finals at home in my last year and winning the game and having everyone celebrating really was a surreal feeling. After losing the last two, getting to win this one, I was crying after the game. I was overwhelmed with emotion,” said Pereira
“The whole playoff run was a good battle . . . Getting to play the finals at home in my last year and winning the game and having everyone celebrating really was a surreal feeling. After losing the last two, getting to win this one, I was crying after the game. I was overwhelmed with emotion."
Jordan Pereira, Men's Volleyball Team
On top of their legendary title run, several members of the team ended the year with individual recognitions. Dave Preston took the coach of the year award. Robbie Fujisawa and Maxime Gratton made the all-rookie team while Gratton also won the rookie of the year award. Wojtek Kraj and Mateusz Wlodarski were named to the second all-star team, while Sam Cooper and Jordan Pereira found themselves on the first all-star team.
The star-studded team continued their journey past the OUA playoffs and into the national tournament less than a week later. The team had their sights set on gold, but ended up losing their first matchup against the Calgary Dino’s, meaning that their first loss of the year would immediately send them into the consolation bracket.
“The quarter finals [of nationals] was a tough battle. Calgary is a really good team and we fell a little short. We fought really hard. Obviously it was a tough pill to swallow, losing in the quarter finals. We had our hopes on winning a national title,” explained Pereira.
The Marauders would follow the loss with two more wins against the Queen’s Gaels and the Manitoba Bisons, yielding a bittersweet fifth place finish in the tournament.
There were many emotional moments in the nationals run, but the player who was arguably most flooded with emotion was Pereira, who was playing the final game of his university career.
“In the Manitoba game right after the second set I was just sitting there on the bench like ‘woah, this is my last time wearing this uniform’ . . . I remember in Winnipeg after the last match I had my jersey on. Everyone was taking theirs off and changing, but I kept mine on. I didn’t want to take it off,” said Pereira.
"I remember in Winnipeg after the last match I had my jersey on. Everyone was taking theirs off and changing, but I kept mine on. I didn’t want to take it off."
Jordan Pereira, Men's Volleyball Team
Pereira spoke extremely highly of his time with the team, both this year and in the past. In his rookie year he became a champion with the team winning the OUA title. Now, he leaves a champion as well, cementing his legacy in maroon.
“Getting to win that in my final year was a great honour . . . I’m glad I chose this school. I made so many good friends, good relationships [and] met my girlfriend. It was really a great journey. We’ve had a lot of success, we’ve won some championships, we’ve lost some championships, but at the end of the day I’ve grown a lot as a person, as a player and as a student at the school. I’ll forever be grateful for picking this school,” explained Pereira.
Despite losing a star, the team is still set for years to come. It’s a very young team and the roster won’t experience much turnover heading into their next season. Pereira felt confident that the team will continue to find long term success and will have several more opportunities to reach their goal of a national title.
“This might be one of the most athletic teams we’ve had. The ceiling was really high . . . At the end of the day, we all play McMaster volleyball. Dave [Preston] runs a good show. I think they can expect the same as always with Dave as the coach because he’s built such a great culture. It’s the kind of thing that just keeps feeding into itself. Excellence breeds excellence. This team has a bright future. I see ourselves winning a championship one day,” said Pereira
"I think they can expect the same as always with Dave as the coach because he’s built such a great culture. It’s the kind of thing that just keeps feeding into itself. Excellence breeds excellence. This team has a bright future. I see ourselves winning a championship one day."
Jordan Pereira, Men's Volleyball Team
Over the course of the season, the volleyball team had to be one of the most entertaining to watch for students, packing the house in the provincial championship matchup. With much of their core still intact for next season, they will continue to be a team for students and fans to keep their eye on for years to come.
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.
[thesil_related_posts_sc]Related Posts[/thesil_related_posts_sc]
When Andreas Dueck arrived at McMaster University last year, he arrived ready to fight for his spot. With the departure of former starting quarterback Asher Hastings, the team was looking for the next young player to step up to the plate.
After going back and forth competing for the starting position with Dylan Astrom, the role was given to fellow newcomer Jackson White. White led the Marauders for the rest of the 2017 season, taking them to the Ontario University Athletics semifinals. Through this all, Dueck was patiently waiting his turn, which was not always easy.
“[Not starting] was something that wasn't a fun experience for me while it was happening,” said Dueck. “Waiting my turn is definitely something that benefited me a lot. It allowed me to take a step back, and evaluate my game more. Also, being able to compete with Jackson every day with him was a good learning experience.”
[spacer height="20px"]The Winnipeg native used his first year away from home to work on himself as a player, to be ready for when the Marauders would need him to step up. While he worked on getting stronger, he also worked on improving his mental game to be able to compete at a university level.
“I really just focused on learning how to prepare mentally for games, and how to be in a better mental state of mind,” said Dueck. “I wanted to be able to be dialed in a hundred per cent and to make sure that I was not overthinking things when I played.”
If he could go back and tell his first-year self what he knows now, it would be a reminder to relax. He would let himself know that it is important to be able to evaluate things from a third-person point of view, and to not let himself get too emotional over situations.
[spacer height="20px"]With key senior departures and a young new offence, the 2018 season began to go through it’s up and downs quite early. After things began to look uncertain, Dueck was brought in to try and help move a struggling offence. Under his leadership, they managed to maintain a three-game winning streak, including beating their rivals, the Wilfred Laurier University Golden Hawks, in a close 21-20 win.
“It's been a crazy season in the OUA in general with how competitive everything is,” said Dueck. “It definitely teaches you no matter who you play every week, you have to go out there and fight for every yard and every possession that you have, and that nothing is really given to you.”
Although Dueck stepped up, he and the Marauders still struggled to make those much-needed passing touchdowns. Ending the season with just six passing touchdowns, the Marauders often relied upon the run game of Jordyn Lyons and sure-footed kicking of Adam Preocanin to score. Lyons ended the regular season with the fourth-most rushing yards in the OUA, while Preocanin finished with 18 field goals, tied for the third-highest in the OUA.
The team walked away with a lot of close gritty wins, including 27-24 to the Queen’s University Gaels, and 17-5 to the University of Windsor Lancers. Though they did not always win in the style they wanted to, they pulled it off when it mattered and secured a spot in the playoffs after beating the Lancers.
#OUA FBALL @McMasterSports have built an 18-10 lead against the @queensgaels in the opening half, and with plays like this from Andreas Dueck to Levi Paul, it's not hard to see how!#WeAreONE | #QUEvsMAC pic.twitter.com/VGu2Zz6Ipu
— OUA (@OUAsport) 5 October 2018
Although, during that last game, Dueck injured his sternoclavicular joint and White had to step back under centre. The two-quarterback-per-game look is something the Marauders tried before this season. With both quarterbacks being so young with strengths in different areas, switching quarterbacks in certain situations was actually something that worked for the team.
“Both of us just put the team first,” said Dueck. “We're always right behind each other and always making each other better, which ends up making the team better because we never let it get to be personal.”
#OUA FBALL
After goose eggs across the board in the 1st half, @McMasterSports puts up 17 in the 2nd half to edge the @WindsorLancers in their regular season finale! Jordan Lyons' big day on the ground helps spearhead the win!#WeAreONE | #MACvsWSR https://t.co/ODc4T6bhFe
— OUA (@OUAsport) 20 October 2018
Keeping focused on the most important thing, winning as a team, Dueck knows that is what matters most, especially going into the playoffs.
“Every down matters, and every inch counts,” said Dueck. “We're just going to go out there and be very urgent, not only with our preparation, but in every single play we make.”
Their opponents for the quarter-finals, the Carleton University Ravens, also have a 5-3 record like Mac, but are coming off a three-game win streak. Having struggled on the road this season, and the talent in the OUA being as unpredictable as it has been, the road to the Yates Cup is not a straight road just yet. Dueck and the Marauders have had many opportunities to learn from their mistakes this season, and now it’s time to use those mistakes to make victories.
Adding to their challenges for the playoffs, McMaster recently fired head coach Greg Knox on Oct. 22, less than a week before their first playoff game. Knox has a long history with the Marauders, serving as defensive coordinator during the Marauders’ multiple Vanier Cup appearances between 2011-2014.
“He was the guy here that recruited me the hardest and really believed in me, and he cared tremendously about the whole team,” said Dueck. “The fact that the school is treating him [this way]… is absolutely ridiculous. They didn't give us any information about the investigation, and when finally giving us the result, did it in an incredibly cowardly and disrespectful manner, after letting him go for something the OUA deemed only worthy of a one-game suspension, it's crazy to me.”
The suddenness of the firing has cast an air of frustration and disbelief amidst the organization as the Marauders prepare for their playoff run. It is unclear how the team will respond to this, as only time will tell if this will inspire a win or lead to a turbulent end to a promising season.
[thesil_related_posts_sc]Related Posts[/thesil_related_posts_sc]
While many of us were “studying” (it’s fine if you didn’t study, no judgement here) this past reading week, many McMaster athletes were busy competing in their last few regular season games. Here are four key things you may have missed during the reading week.
1. The Mac women’s rugby team started their reading week off on fire, defeating the Wilfred Laurier University Golden Hawks 109-0 in their Ontario University Athletics quarter-final playoff game on Oct. 5. Unfortunately for them, their championship dreams came to an end less than a week later, when they played the Queen’s University Gaels. Scoring their first try in the seventh minute, the Gaels pulled away with a 29-24 victory. But the season is not over yet for Mac. They will host the Brock University Badgers for one last game to determine who will win the OUA bronze medal, this Friday night at Ron Joyce Stadium. [spacer height="20px"]
2. The Marauders football team started off their reading week on a good note, finding themselves back in the U Sports top 10 rankings at No. 9, following a three-game winning streak. With the return of running back Justice Allin, the Marauders just managed to pull away with a win against the Gaels on Oct. 5. Their hopes of extending their streak to four weeks came to an end after the University of Waterloo Warriors outlasted them in a 34-16 loss. Up next, their last game of the season will be against the University of Windsor Lancers this Saturday at 1:00 pm.
#OUA FBALL
2nd and long? No problem for @McMasterSports, as Andreas Dueck connects with Tommy Nield for the first down and more to put the visitors up 11-9 over the @WlooWarriors!#WeAreONE | #MACvsWAT pic.twitter.com/uKnzlItpSf
— OUA (@OUAsport) 13 October 2018
3. The McMaster men’s cross-country team entered the national rankings at number two during the break, while the women secured the ninth-place spot. The Marauders hosted the Bayfront Open for the second time during the weekend, and saw success once again. Leading the pack, the men’s team won the team title by a 29-point margin, while the women took home bronze.[spacer height="20px"]
4. Both the men and women’s soccer teams remained dominant during the break. The men beat the Badgers 1-0 on Oct. 6, while the women beat them 2-1. By the end of the game, women’s forward Stephanie Roberts became the province’s fourth-leading scorer, with a total of nine goals, just two behind the OUA-leader, Gaels’ Jenny Wolever. The following weekend, the women were able to tie their match against the Waterloo Warriors 1-1, while the men dominated the Warriors in a 3-1 victory.
Men's Soccer -- The Marauders put three past the Warriors on Alumni Day Saturday, keeping hold of third in the @OUAsport West. #GoMacGo https://t.co/BlAirhYopI
— McMaster Athletics (@McMasterSports) 14 October 2018
[spacer height="20px"]
[thesil_related_posts_sc]Related Posts[/thesil_related_posts_sc]
On Friday morning at 11 a.m., the McMaster Marauders will face the Queen’s University Gaels in an early, early, EARLY Friday Night Lights. And yes, some of you will be in classes and some of you may even be still sleeping, but if you will be doing neither, here are five reasons as to why you should come on down to Ron Joyce Stadium for some good ol’ football.
#MarauderNation, @mcmasterfootball is home this week for a special 🏈FOOTBALL FRIDAY🏈 day game against @queensfootball!
.
.
.
Student tickets are only💲5️⃣ and are available online at https://t.co/30YdsNcpRW. Get yours today! 🏈#GoMacGo pic.twitter.com/29fYlhD6tP— McMaster Marauders (@McMasterSports) October 2, 2018
[spacer height="20px"]
[spacer height="20px"]Win or lose, this is a great way to start of your reading week break. So grab a friend and come on out to support your Marauders as they try to make their winning streak last for one more game.
[thesil_related_posts_sc]Related Posts[/thesil_related_posts_sc]
McMaster University Homecoming is always an exciting game for both the players and the fans. Big crowds, big games and big wins are always guaranteed. This year the 1-2 Marauders will face the 0-2 University of Toronto Varsity Blues. But before we get to the action, here are some of the most exciting moments from the past five Homecoming wins to get you pumped up for the upcoming game!
[h5p id="4"]
In one of their closer competitions this year, McMaster's football team beat the Queen's Gaels 33-20 Saturday afternoon at Ron Joyce Stadium.
Read about how the game transpired on the @SilSports Twitter feed.
