Men's volleyball cancels exhibition games
After a slow start to the season for the men's volleyball team and several player injuries, travel for offseason exhibition games were pulled from the team's schedule
The usually dominant McMaster men's volleyball team has experienced an abnormally difficult season. They currently sit with only four wins and six losses in Ontario University Athletics volleyball and were forced to cancel their usual offseason exhibition matches this winter break.
The Marauders men’s volleyball team typically is one of the top performing teams in Ontario University Athletics. They’ve won 11 OUA titles in the last 15 years, marking their excellence at the provincial level.
As long time coach Dave Preston left McMaster two seasons ago, after a 19 season career with the Marauders, new head coach Bradley Douwes has been looking to maintain the same level of play. In his first season, Douwes captured an OUA title with the Marauders, though the team has struggled this season.
The 2024 OUA season started with two losses for the Marauders, against the University of Toronto on Oct. 25 and Oct. 26, 2024. They lost both games with a score of one to three. This is in contrast to the previous season in which the Marauders beat the Varsity Blues with a score of three to none.
At the end of 2024, results for the volleyball team continuously did not match up to their usual success. They suffered losses to Nippissing University, Western University and Brock University, totalling six losses so far in the OUA season.
For reference, the 2023-2024 season saw the team lose only four times during the OUA season. Despite the disappointments of this season, Douwes is optimistic about what lays ahead.
“Yeah, I think we've had a tough season. Our performance on court hasn't been what we maybe thought it would have been. I think we're still a very talented team. I think we're better than a four and six team, and I'm hoping that we can prove that this term.” said Douwes.
Yeah, I think we've had a tough season. Our performance on court hasn't been what we maybe thought it would have been. I think we're still a very talented team. I think we're better than a four and six team, and I'm hoping that we can prove that this term.
Bradley Douwes, Head Coach
Marauders Men's Volleyball
Douwes thinks that the results of this season can be partly attributed to current player injuries as well as multiple vacancies left by graduating players and a professional contract. One of the team’s biggest losses has been outside hitter Brendan Mills, who left the team to play professional volleyball at the beginning of this season.
“So our roster has changed a number of times, right? I think when Brendon Mills went to play professionally, that was a big piece that we lost. I think that changed the dynamic of our team a little bit, [but] I don't think that changed us so drastically that we would be in the position that we're currently in,” said Douwes.
According to Douwes, the amount of player injuries also led to the cancellation of the team’s offseason exhibitions games. The Marauders planned to travel to California to compete against high level university teams, though this was ultimately cancelled, resulting in a longer than usual break in games.
“We were supposed to play three games against Pepperdine, Long Beach and UC San Diego. But as we neared the end of last term, we had a number of injuries, some sickness on our team [so] we decided that we could not go. We wouldn't have had enough healthy bodies to make it worthwhile for us or the competition,” said Douwes.
. . . we had a number of injuries, some sickness on our team [so] we decided that we could not go. We wouldn't have had enough healthy bodies to make it, to make it worthwhile for us or the competition.
Bradley Douwes, Head Coach
McMaster Men's Volleyball
With the 2025 portion of the season beginning, the Marauders have a packed schedule still left to come. They have ten games left to play within about a two month span.
Notable games will be against York University on Jan. 24 and Jan. 25 and Queen’s University on Feb. 7 and Feb. 8. Currently, the York Lions are second in OUA standings with the Queen’s Gaels sitting just behind in third place. Meanwhile, the Marauders currently sit in ninth place.
Douwes remains optimistic about how this experience will impact the team. He sees these upcoming games as a learning opportunity for himself and the team.
“Things have come up like we need to be able to be flexible and adjust and I think we talked about after practice, this is a good test run for life, right? You're gonna have a plan for your life and some stuff's gonna happen and you're gonna have to be adaptable. We're going through that right now as a group, which is pretty nice,” said Douwes.
Douwes and his team will aim to adjust accordingly as the season progresses, while looking to improve on their previous results.
