McMaster University

Men’s Volleyball: Canada West Dominates Day One of CIS Championships

Saturday, March 13th 2010

By Fraser Caldwell

There’s a reason why the Canada West conference is given preference at the CIS Championships. They are quite simply the best collection of volleyballers in our fair country.

This most basic fact on was display last night, as Western teams demolished the opposition and will now make up three of the four national semi-finalists. The only non-Canada West entry will be that of the first-ranked Laval Rouge et Or, who emerged victorious from a fairly routine all-Quebec match up with the 8th seeded Montreal Carabins.

The volleyball extravaganza at Thompson Rivers kicked off with the battle of the Francophones, which Laval won handily in straight sets (25-20, 25-20, 25-18). The overwhelmed Carabins played like the bottom seed, and never truly tested their QSSF rivals. First Team All-Canadian outside Frederic Desbiens led the Rouge et Or with 13 kills in the win.

The second quarterfinal of the night saw the beginning of Canada West’s domination, as the Trinity Western Spartans dismantled the OUA’s sole representative: the Queens Gaels (25-19, 25-23, 25-19). While the Gaels hung in each of the three sets, they could not overcome the speed and trickery of the Spartans, who used an efficient attack and a variety of angles to wreak havoc with the Ontario champions. Steven Marshall led the way with 15 kills for the Spartans, who will now confront Laval in a semifinal today.

Quarterfinal number three was an all-Western match up between the hosts from Thompson Rivers (Kamloops) and the number two ranked Alberta Golden Bears (the school with the most badass logo). While it was not billed as a particularly contentious encounter, TRU shocked many by taking the first set on the back of some stellar all-around play from CIS rookie of the year Kevin Tillie. The native of Cagnes-sur-Mer, France was on fearsome form in the opener, swinging freely on the left side and producing the heaviest and most accurate serves that i have yet seen.

Sponsor

Unfortunately for the hosts, the Golden Bears demonstrated why they are the second seeded squad in the country, pulling away in the second set and maintaining form to close out the match in four (21-25, 25-20, 25-20, 25-22). Spencer Leiske was named as the Golden Bears’ player of the game on the strength of a game-high tally of 19 kills.

In the last quarterfinal, the sixth-seeded Calgary Dinos provided the only upset of the night, knocking off the third ranked Dalhousie Tigers in a five-set thrill ride (21-25, 24-26, 25-20, 25-19, 16-14). After losing the first two sets to the kings of the Atlantic conference, the Dinos roared back to seal a stunning come from behind victory. Graham Vigrass led the Dinos with 20 kills on the night, while the Tigers’ Sander Ratsep had an astounding total of 28 in a losing effort.

The results set up an intriguing semi-final round dominated by Western sides. I’ll have a roundup of the semifinal action later tonight.

CIS Semi-Final Matchups:

#1 Laval v. #4 Trinity Western (9:00 pm EST, SSN Canada)

#2 Alberta v. #6 Calgary (11:00 pm EST, SSN Canada)

Hey, Did You Know?

You can be updated automatically when new comments are added using this RSS Feed. If you've never used RSS before, watch this to get started.

CIS TOURNAMENT: Day 2

Saturday, March 13th 2010

By Brian Decker

I’m back!

Click Here for McMaster vs. Laval

Click Here for Cape Breton vs. Ottawa in consolation round action.

Hey, Did You Know?

You can be updated automatically when new comments are added using this RSS Feed. If you've never used RSS before, watch this to get started.

CIS TOURNAMENT: Liveblog, Round 1

Friday, March 12th 2010

By Brian Decker

I’ll be liveblogging the first round action of the CIS Nationals

For Saskatchewan vs. Cape Breton, CIS Tournament – Round 1, Saskatchewan vs. Cape Breton

For Ottawa vs. Windsor

. Click Here to check it out.

Hey, Did You Know?

You can be updated automatically when new comments are added using this RSS Feed. If you've never used RSS before, watch this to get started.

A few things here and there pt. 2

Sunday, March 7th 2010

By Brian Decker

First off, congrats to Mac wrestlers Dusan Milikara and Ryan Blake, who are coming home with CIS silver medals. Both fell in gold-medal matches, but should be proud to bring home some hardware. As both an observer of and participant in varsity athletics, I know how hard it is to compete with the nation’s best.

———–

Big time drag the last couple weeks for Marauder fans. First, men’s basketball falls in an upset to Waterloo. Then, women’s volleyball comes up short in the OUA final against Toronto. To top it off, the heavily favoured Marauders go down to Guelph in the OUA semi-final. Gotta feel for the fans and the athletes… I’m sure it’s not how many of them saw their careers ending.

I know it’s a bit of a common theme on this blog, but hats off to those graduating. It’s a lot of work to put in and there are ups and downs, but in the end it’s always worth it. Thanks for all your hard work, guys.

———–

Speaking of those graduating, I don’t know if anyone will be missed at the Burridge Gym as much as women’s volleyball setter Jen Holt. She’s one of those athletes that is fun to watch whether you know the game or not. A few times every game, she could come up with a creative set or a nifty tip over the net that would make you go “awesome.”

Sponsor

———–

Also, very happy to see the Saskatchewan Huskies qualified for the CIS Tournament, giving Lindsay DeGroot a chance to finish her CIS career on the court where it all began. Looking forward to writing a story about this one.

———–

Sticking with the basket-hoopers, I caught a couple of games on SSN yesterday – Windsor and Ottawa for the women’s OUA title, and Carleton and Ottawa for the men’s OUA East.

Have to say, Windsor looked absolutely dominant. Completely took away Ottawa All-Star Hannah Sunley-Paisley’s presence in the post, came up with excellent help defence on any penetration and had too many scoring options for the Gee-gees to keep an eye on. A Windsor-SFU final this weekend would be quite a game.

For the men, Ottawa fell behind early against Carleton, but made a furious comeback just as they did in their last meeting. There were about five minutes of back and forth action that was as good as it gets in the CIS and reminds you why it’s a good idea to get out and watch a game or two. The SSN guys alluded to Ottawa not playing their best until they trail by a few and make a comeback, but how good they really are when firing on all cylinders. If they can beat Lakehead next weekend and somehow make their way into the big dance, I’m sure nobody is going to want to play them.

Hey, Did You Know?

You can be updated automatically when new comments are added using this RSS Feed. If you've never used RSS before, watch this to get started.

Men’s Volleyball: Marauders Crumble in Semifinal Heartbreaker

Saturday, March 6th 2010

By Fraser Caldwell

The curse of the Gryphon continues for the McMaster Marauders.

After storming out to a two set lead, Mac faded down the stretch in last night’s OUA semi-final, paving the way for a miraculous comeback on the part of the visiting Gryphons (25-16, 27-25, 15-25, 21-25, 8-15). As Tyler Santoni’s attack was stuffed to put an end to the contest, the Marauders could only look on in horrified disbelief as their OUA title chances were mercilessly snuffed out.

The match began promisingly for the home side, who appeared galvanized by the near-capacity crowd that filled Burridge Gym. The Marauders were quick and organized on the attack, noticeably outclassing the Gryphons throughout the first set. The all-star combination of Santoni and Jeremy Groenveld was on form and firing freely, causing havoc for the Guelph defenders. The set would end with perhaps the rally of the match, with Josh Nederveen producing a breathtaking diving save before Josh Lichty killed well at net.

Mac carried its considerable momentum into the second frame, where they took an early lead thanks largely to the impressive play of Lichty. However, Guelph was not to be steamrolled, and they would cut the deficit to two points at the second technical timeout. Suddenly, there was nothing to choose between the two teams, and Guelph was defending admirably well in the face of constant Marauder pressure. Thankfully for the Burridge faithful, Mac would eke out the set when Santoni followed a deflected Groenveld kill with an absolute rocket up the middle, to give the home squad a commanding two set advantage.

At this point, the game seemed firmly in the grasp of the Marauders, who had been markedly outhitting the visitors throughout. But with momentum on their side, Mac would fatally let their form slip, and allow the Gryphons to steadily gain confidence.

The third set was a disaster, with the Marauders losing 11 of the first 14 points to all but guarantee a fourth. Where Mac had passed well and maintained a quick and effective attack rhythm throughout the first two frames, they completely fell out of sync in the third. In addition, the Marauder attack became increasingly congested, making the job of the Guelph blockers considerably easier. This showed itself on the scorecard, where the Gryphons ran away with the set by a comfortable 10 point margin.

Sponsor

In the fourth, McMaster had their best chance to seal the match, and will rue the way in which they squandered a solid early lead. After winning 6 of the first 7 points, Mac once again went to sleep at the wheel, and saw their advantage evaporate mid-set. As their attack fell into disrepair again, the Marauders were hampered by erratic defense as well, particularly that of the usually rock solid Nederveen, whose nose-diving level of play mirrored that of his team as a whole.

Mac rallied briefly in the later stages to bring the set within a point at 17-18 after Guelph dumped an attack at net, but this would be as close as they would get. Another late meltdown sealed the fourth for the Gryphons, which they wrapped up after a well-placed ace floated to the back corner.

With the match now entirely in the balance, Mac proved unable to recover their form, and Guelph put the finishing touches on a truly heartbreaking comeback. After finding the far corner with a cross court kill to bring up multiple set points, the Gryphons silenced the maroon-clad massess of Burridge by emphatically stuffing Tyler Santoni.

Cue a moment of entirely contrasting emotions. On one side of the net, the rural upstarts swarmed in a victorious pile up. On the other, the vanquished Marauders looked absolutely crushed.

Yours truly was fighting back some tears of his own.

Jeremy Groenveld was awarded bittersweet honours as McMaster’s player of the game, garnering 14 points and an impressive tally of 20 digs on the night, but crucially committing 15 errors as well. That statline embodies the Mac effort as a whole, which enjoyed many spectacular moments of skill, but was often mired in disorganization, misjudgment, and a sluggish pace. Tyler Santoni was the Marauders’ chief bright spot in the loss, with a game-leading total of 22 points. Santoni was typically ruthless at net, and enjoyed a consistency that his team sadly lacked.

The loss puts a sour end to the varsity careers of several Marauder players, who will be devastated by the manner of their defeat. But it was truly a banner season for the Marauder men, and provincial silverware or not, they represented the school exceptionally well. For that alone, the boys should all be commended.

Tags: , , , ,

Hey, Did You Know?

You can be updated automatically when new comments are added using this RSS Feed. If you've never used RSS before, watch this to get started.

A few things here and there

Friday, March 5th 2010

By Brian Decker

Sorry for the lack of posts lately… the ’student’ part of ’student journalist’ has been getting in the way.

A few thoughts;

No surprise on Keenan Jeppesen being named OUA West Player of the Year, and no surprise on Jeppesen and Taylor Smith making their respective OUA West First All-Star Teams.

Nobody did more for their team than Jeppesen this year, plain and simple. Though he prefers to play on the wing, as he did at Brown at Western, his passing out of the post was a mainstay of the Marauder offence. I don’t mean to say the other All-Stars didn’t do a lot for their team, especially Springer-Williams’ scoring for Brock, but no one team depended on a single player as much as Mac with Jeppesen. If only I hadn’t caused the now infamous (sort of) Silhouette cover jinx.

Smith meanwhile did what she has done her whole career – drop dimes like a hole in a pocket, and knock down threes like a lumberjack with a lisp. She even did it this year while avoiding non-stop Taylor Swift jokes. Seriously though, you won’t find anyone who thinks Smith isn’t a great player, teammate and person. Hopefully Mac can pull out some hometown magic next weekend at the CIS Championship.

Speaking of that Championship, we’re going to have some extensive coverage of the event in this week’s Sil and right here on the blog. I’m personally really, really hoping the Saskatchewan Huskies make it out of the stacked Canada West. Why? Because former Marauder Lindsay Degroot, who was an All-Canadian for McMaster twice in her four seasons in Hamilton, could return and finish her career on the Burridge Gym court. Awesome story. DeGroot, by the way, was just named a Canada West All-Star.

Sponsor

Mac also made a few appearances on the All-Rookie squads. First for the women, Nicole Rosenkranz and Jaklynn Nimec. I’m a big fan of Rosenkranz’ game. Crafty scorer in the post and plays hard  - the first time she played for Mac at home, she went diving for a loose ball and crashed into the bleachers.

Nimec meanwhile earned playing time throughout the season and proved her worth as a scorer. She’s a jump shooter, but has size to create major match up problems. Give these girls a few years to grow up, and that is one scary looking frontcourt.

For the men, Victor Raso got the nod. I don’t know if he’ll ever be an MVP-caliber player in this league, but he’s the kind of player any coach would want on his team. Fundamentally sound, plays hard and has a very high basketball IQ, not to mention a penchant for knocking down some big shots. Being the son of a three-time OUA Coach of the Year, the guy just knows how to play basketball.

Enough with the hoop shooting sport. On to the smash ball to ground sport.

Men’s volleyball Final Four should be fun tomorrow. An upset in the making, or a time for revenge? As my esteemed colleague F. Caldwell points out, the boys will need to come out and play like big angry men. I’m expecting an awesome crowd. Last week was great with the women’s final, although it probably ended up putting more pressure on them.

Check the blog tomorrow night for updates on whether the men move on to the OUA final, or if Fraser will be drinking his volleyball sorrows away again tomorrow night thanks to another Gryphon upset…

Tags: , , , , , ,

Hey, Did You Know?

You can be updated automatically when new comments are added using this RSS Feed. If you've never used RSS before, watch this to get started.

Volleyball Preview: Marauder Men Look For Revenge On The Biggest Stage

Tuesday, March 2nd 2010

By Fraser Caldwell

Once again, the sporting gods throw us a karmic curveball.

In a fitting twist to the OUA volleyball campaign, the Marauders will meet the Guelph Gryphons in their semi-final encounter on Friday. The Gryphons have been a perpetual thorn in Mac’s side this season, beating the OUA leaders in both of their previous games  (3-1 and 3-0). Considering that the Marauders lost only three games in total, Guelph’s achievement is both impressive and puzzling. Either way, Mac will have the chance to redeem themselves in elimination play and put an end to the giant-killers.

Keys to the Game: In their home loss to the Gryphons after the Christmas break, the Marauders looked tired and out of sorts, unable to play with any conviction on either side of the ball. Guelph wreaked havoc with the hosts when they began to effectively time the Mac attack rhythm and shut down the usually unstoppable Jeremy Groenveld down the wings. In addition, the Gryphons managed to do what no other team consistently has: outmuscle the Marauders vicious middle duo of Tyler Santoni and Shawn Bench at net.

Sponsor

If they are to stop that trend on Friday, Mac will need to greatly up the tempo, and use a varied attacking game to keep the Gryphon blockers on the back foot. Once the Marauders’ hitting warms up, look for the boys to ratchet up the emotion and the noise on court. The team plays noticeably better when angry, empowering the big men to swing for the fences and put their stamp on the game and the score sheet.

Bottom Line: Guelph’s success in the regular season can neither be understated nor ignored. To have beaten the premier squad in Ontario as handily as they have demands some serious respect. However, as the Marauders themselves will readily tell you, Mac has consistently found another gear when they find themselves in clutch situations. Just ask the Gaels and Mustangs (the two prospective final opponents coincidentally) how they liked playing the Marauders when the OUA standings were still in doubt.

As such, expect an entirely different game in this semifinal from the disappointments of the regular season. It is in these championship circumstances, with an energized crowd at their back, that a great team truly shows their form. The difference in ability is just too great to overlook in this one. I believe that we’ll see a statement game from the Marauders, who will clear the skeletons out of the closet with an emphatic victory in straight sets.

Tags: , , , ,

Hey, Did You Know?

You can be updated automatically when new comments are added using this RSS Feed. If you've never used RSS before, watch this to get started.

Women’s Volleyball: Marauders Feel the Blues in OUA Championship Loss

Saturday, February 27th 2010

By Fraser Caldwell

What a colossal let down.

With the OUA Championship and a berth in the CIS national tournament on the line, the Marauders dropped a straight sets decision to the Toronto Varsity Blues tonight (20-25, 23-25, 19-25).

With an impressive and rowdy crowd at their back, the girls began the match nervously and never appeared to settle in.  After a tight opening period in the first set, Toronto began to assert their dominance mid-set, taking a five point lead into the second technical timeout. Mac was downright sloppy at times, often negating great rallies by responding with dumped serves. The mistakes would prove costly early and often. Despite a decent fightback, which saw them close the gap to three at 19-22, the Marauders never truly looked like winning the first. The Blues would take the set and the initiative when a Mac miscommunication saw a Toronto lob remain unplayed.

The second frame began in disaster for the hosts, who lost the first six points before mounting a commendable surge to level the proceedings at 8. However, the Blues were playing textbook defense, and the hitting of all-star Heather Bansley was a constant concern for Mac. The Marauders would stay in touch throughout the set, largely through the net presence of Shannon McRobert and Sarah Kiernan, and the trickery of the ever-present Jennifer Holt.

The hosts had their chance at 21-20, when a Toronto block fell wide, but failed to capitalize. Instead, the Blues would stay consistent and allow the hosts to throw the set away through error, as Kaila Janssen fired long to seal the second in the visitors’ favour.

Sponsor

The third and ultimately final set saw the Marauders provide a glimmer of hope with a powerful opening, before fading to lose the set and the match fairly handily. Things were looking up for the hosts as they raced out to a 6-3 lead, but Toronto would storm back to take five of the next six points and lead at the first technical timeout. Again, McMaster would keep the set close, with Kaila Janssen killing on consecutive rallies to make the score 12-13. However, despite Mac’s best efforts, Toronto would once again up their level in the late stages to take the set and the championship gold.

After an uplifting block from Holt, Mac would crash out of the title match when the Torontonians hammered a kill into the left corner for the win. With the Blues’ bench and travelling fans jubilant, Burridge Gym was left in stunned silence. In her last match as a Marauder, Holt took the player of the game honours for her team, with another of the well-rounded performances for which she will be remembered.

With the win, the Blues can look forward to a trip to Edmonton for the upcoming CIS national championships. The Marauders on the other hand, will bitterly bemoan their form on this most crucial occasion, where they often appeared nervous and tentative in front of the expectant Burridge faithful.

Most surprising was the manner of the loss, which was unexpectedly comprehensive.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to drink myself into oblivion…

Tags: , , , , ,

Hey, Did You Know?

You can be updated automatically when new comments are added using this RSS Feed. If you've never used RSS before, watch this to get started.

Volleyball Preview: Marauder Ladies Host the Big Show

Thursday, February 25th 2010

By Fraser Caldwell

Well this is it. The weekend that defines a campaign.

Having laid waste to the OUA in a fashion that would make even the late-great Godzilla proud, the McMaster women look to lay definitive claim to the conference. Their weekend begins against the Queen’s Gaels, who they beat fairly handily in their only previous meeting this season. However, having finished in the second spot in the OUA East, the Gaels are no team to take lightly, and the Marauders should be entirely focused when they meet on Friday night. The winner of their semifinal will confront the survivor of the Toronto/Western match up in the conference final on Saturday.

Sponsor

Keys to the game: Mac will have to contend with the OUA East all-star tandem of Natalie Gray and Colleen Ogilvie up front, who have done some serious damage this season. As such, the Marauders will need a coordinated defensive effort if they are to come out on top. Look for the girls to rely heavily on the blocking prowess of their towering sophomore middle, Shannon McRobert. Libero Meagan Nederveen will need to be sharp to pick up whatever does sneak through the front line, and to provide the groundwork for a proper offense.

On that side of the ball, Mac will need their typical hitting trio of Kaila Janssen, Larissa Puhach, and Sarah Kiernan to be on top form. If they can manage to keep their attacks clean and economical, the Marauders should enjoy a comfortable night.

Bottom Line: Queen’s is a solid team, and their all-star duo should cause some problems for the hosts. However, as the Gaels’ earlier visit to Burridge demonstrated, they simply cannot compete with the Marauders over the course of a five set match. The Kingston squad’s best hope is that Mac feels the weight of the occasion and falls off their game for long spells. But Mac has shown its resiliency time and time again this season, and tomorrow night will be no different. Expect a battle in the early going, with Queen’s grabbing a set when the Marauders’ game hits a low ebb. But it will be a momentary lapse, and Mac will book their ticket to the final convincingly in the late stages.

Tags: , , , ,

Hey, Did You Know?

You can be updated automatically when new comments are added using this RSS Feed. If you've never used RSS before, watch this to get started.

MEN’S BASKETBALL: Waterloo 66, Mac 63 – Season over

Thursday, February 25th 2010

By Brian Decker

That was probably not how Keenan Jeppesen imagined his CIS career ending – in street clothes on the bench, watching as his Marauders fell to a scrappy Warrior team.

Cam McIntyre and David Burnett helped the visitors weather the storm of a Marauder comeback, nailing a pair of clutch three balls and converting the key free throws to lock up the game.

Vic Raso, after hitting a quick three to bring the marauders within one with 4.8 seconds left, had a chance to tie from about 40 feet at the buzzer. Tyrell Vernon received Raso’s inbound pass from the McMaster baseline and raced down the court to draw a double team and dish back to the sneaking, trailing Raso. It clanked off the rim, however, and McMaster’s season ended.

The loss marks the end of CIS basketball Geoff McLaughin and Jermaine DeCosta as well as the aforementioned Jeppesen, who says he’s planning to test the waters next year in Europe professionally.

Sponsor

Head Coach Joe Raso said his team wasn’t prepared for what the veteran-loaded Warriors would throw at Mac, despite the brutal beatdowns the maroon and grey handed Waterloo earlier this year. After the game, Raso could be heard telling his coaching staff he “saw this coming last night at practice.”

Waterloo will now travel to Lakehead to try and extend their season one more game.

NOTES: – Mac held a five point lead with just over two minutes remaining. Scott Laws then suffered an injury diving for a loose ball, leaving the game. Laws had been guarding McIntyre, who got open for a huge three to start the Waterloo run.

- A couple of sweet OUA upsets last night. Cinderella York, playing out their coach’s last season, knocked off the Toronto Varsity Blues, while the Laurier Golden Hawks dominated the Western Mustangs in London. Apparently a sweet night for road upsets in the OUA.

Tags: ,

Hey, Did You Know?

You can be updated automatically when new comments are added using this RSS Feed. If you've never used RSS before, watch this to get started.

random opinion

basketball

volleyball