“Happy, but not satisfied”

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This past weekend, the CIS no. 1-ranked McMaster Marauders took a road trip to Toronto and beat the Varsity Blues and Ryerson Rams in straight sets.

It looks good on the surface.

“If you look at it from a pure results point of view it looks awesome,” said Marauder Head Coach Dave Preston. “But from our standpoint it was far less than awesome. We played average against Toronto. We served poorly, passed okay and hit alright. But from a gameplan and defensive point of view there were certain things that we wanted to accomplish, and I don’t think we did that.”

McMaster’s performance against Toronto on Saturday, Nov. 14 was graded “okay” by Preston, but the team’s win on Sunday, Nov. 15 against Ryerson received more praise. Despite only having a film session between the Toronto and Ryerson game, the Marauders rallied around each other and made sure they didn’t allow a one-game problem to stretch into a second game.

“Sunday’s improvement was 100 percent due to team leadership,” said Preston. “Alex Elliott, Danny Demyanenko, Stephen Maar and Andrew Richards are our leadership council right now. During our film session preparing for Ryerson those guys really spoke up and got other guys engaged. That came from within. It wasn’t me harping on the team.”

The experience that this Marauder team has is one of its greatest strengths. The majority of players on this team have played on big stages like the OUA and CIS championships, and a number of them have national team experience. Eight of the seventeen players on the roster have been with this team for three or more years. Leadership is not measured on the boxscore, but locker room conversations and influences in team huddles play a big role in what appears on the court. It’s one of the vital intangibles in team sports.

McMaster responded to the call from their locker room leaders with a 3-0 (25-19, 25-19, 25-13) win over Ryerson, hitting a solid .400 and committing only 12 errors, while racking up 42 kills. They also had five service aces and 21 digs.

“Our attention to detail in terms of our gameplan about what we wanted to do in certain situations when they had certain players on the floor was better against Ryerson,” said Preston. “Our defense, serving and offensive schemes were exemplary. By the end of the first set Ryerson had to adjust because we exposed them.”

Earlier this season I introduced the concept of the performance standards that this team uses as a benchmark for their success. Although the box scores and raw stats communicate “easy” victories, Head Coach Dave Preston believes that there is more beyond the surface to be considered. “Happy, but not satisfied” were the words he used to describe his thoughts on his team despite two victories, 19 consecutive set wins, a 7-0 record and a top national ranking. There is more to be done.

Those sentiments aren’t unfamiliar to the McMaster community. After last year’s Yates Cup victory, McMaster football Head Coach Stefan Ptaszek was quoted as saying, “It’s okay to be proud. It’s not okay to be satisfied.” We’ve heard this before and it is a shared attitude among McMaster coaches regardless of sport.

You could say the bar is high at McMaster.

But realistically, where else should it be set?

The Marauders Men’s Volleyball team has medaled at three consecutive CIS national championships and has been ranked no. 1 for all of this season. One thing that has evaded them, however, is CIS national gold. If you want to get something you’ve never had, you’re going to have to do some things you’ve never done. So yes, you can leave the bar that high for this team because their potential demands that.

“It’s not just about wins and losses,” said Preston. “It’s about maximizing your opportunities and playing at your potential. We didn’t do that against Toronto, but we did that against Ryerson. The Toronto game was a little bit uncharacteristic of us. We have a couple more gears that we haven’t reached yet.”

This week the Marauders have big conference games against Windsor and Western on Nov. 20 and 21, respectively. Both games start at 8 p.m. in Burridge Gym.

Photo Credit: McMaster Athletics

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