McMaster Volleyball preview

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By: John Bauer

Two years ago, the McMaster Women’s Volleyball team made a Cinderella run all the way to an OUA championship and a birth in the CIS quarterfinals. Last year, the Western Mustangs cut the Marauders’ season short in the first round of the OUA playoffs; a disappointing end to a season in which the team toyed with the CIS top ten list all year.

With last season’s entire team returning save two bench players, the addition of three major recruits, several players in their fifth year of eligibility and a chip on their shoulder from the abrupt end to last season, the Marauders are looking to show that their 2014 run was no fluke.

Coach Tim Louks will be able to throw out a potent and recognizable line-up in their opener on Oct. 23. Five starters for the opener are all but decided, with the sixth spot to be determined based on an evaluation of the team’s play during their recent Thanksgiving Tournament.

McMaster’s high-scoring attack looks to again be led by second-year outside hitter Joanna Jedrzejewska, who finished third in the OUA last year with 235 kills. She was the MVP at the Thanksgiving Tournament. Look for setter Caitlin Genovy to continue driving play. Her 607 assists last season were three fewer than the total number of assists opponents registered in games against the Marauders. While she does not get the number of touches that Jedrzejewska or other top scorer Lauren Mastroluisi (thirteenth in the league in both kills and points) does, Genovy is the team’s most efficient scorer, converting on more than a third of her attempts last year. Coach Louks is also expecting big things from her this season; when asked, he pegged her as the player he expects a breakout season from.

Mastroluisi is the team’s biggest threat to score from the service area, picking up a service ace almost every other set in the previous campaign. Overall, the Marauders are actually looking to drop from second overall in team scoring, as this total was inflated by games going more sets than the team would have liked.

Third-year Khira Adams allows the team’s big hitters to do their jobs, racking up 214 digs last year. The Marauders are one of the most prolific blocking teams in the OUA, lead by Taylor Brisebois. First-year outside hitter Rachel Woock brings her 6-1 frame to the team, which should help at the net.

When asked if there are any games circled on the calendar, coach Louks said that he thought the most important game of the season would be: “No cliché, but the first one. It will set the tone quickly...[There are] lots of capable teams.” Other key dates on the calendar include Nov. 20, the team’s first look at the Western team that shocked them in the playoffs last year, a Jan. 23 home game against perennial contenders Ottawa and the team’s final home game on Feb. 13 against Toronto, who is looking to repeat as league champions.

Three first years should see game action this year. Highly touted setter Michelle Chelladurai was forced into action during the team’s preseason tournament in Ottawa when Genovy was injured, and was impressive in the Thanksgiving Tournament, finishing the weekend as a tournament all-star. Outside hitter Woock is being groomed to step in next year for Mastroluisi and Mira Krunic, both in their final years of eligibility. She played spot duty in Ottawa and during the team’s trip to Edmonton earlier in the preseason. Libero Zoe Mackintosh is coming off a U18 provincial championship with her club team last spring, and brings speed and beach volleyball experience to the team.

The Marauder’s 2014-15 season was a tale of two teams, as the squad looked unbeatable some nights and very ordinary for others. Not helping them was the fact that they played the other two elite teams in the OUA, Ottawa and Toronto, in games three and eight, respectively, of a nineteen-game season, meaning most of the second half of the season was spent playing .500 or worse teams. This will not be the case this year.

With the team having one of the strongest offenses in Ontario, Coach Louks is focusing on the defensive side of the court this year. While he would not call it the team’s motto, he stressed that “offense will shape points, but defending will win championships.”

In terms of pure talent, the Marauders belong in the conversation as one of the best teams in the province. A young team last year, it was the superior focus and execution of a motivated Western team that brought McMaster’s season to an end. Coach Louks recognizes this, and is optimistic about his team’s prospects for the season.

“I expect us to be steady and compete tactically at a high IQ. We have enough in the tank to do that right now.”

If the Maroon can learn from last year’s mistakes and develop their mental game to match their talent on the court, a return to the CIS championships is not out of the question.

Photo Credit: Yousif Haddad