Men's volleyball rookie shines in back-to-back wins

A look at how a first-year Seth O'Brian helped the Marauders get back to winning, and where he can go from here

Through Nov. 8 to 9, the Marauders men’s volleyball team competed against the Guelph Gryphons back-to-back games in the OUA regular season, picking up wins and improving their record to three wins and three losses.

The Marauders won their first game on Friday Nov. 8, 3-2 against the Gryphons. Their second game was not as close, with the Marauders sweeping the Gryphons 3-0 in a best-out-of-five series.

Through both competitions, it was rookie Seth O’Brien, a first-year commerce student, who stood out with a strong performance. Finishing with a total of 24 kills through the two games, he greatly contributed to the Marauders’ wins.

He also scored the most combined aces, or points of a serve.

“I was really pumped and super excited to be on the court and show my abilities, [but I also] wanted to be on the court to play with my fellow friends and do whatever I could to make this weekend a winning one,” said O’Brien.

O’Brien did not play the first two games of the season against the University of Toronto Varsity Blues. He told the Silhouette he was asked to start after one of the Marauders’ right-side hitters got injured ahead of their game against the Nipissing Lakers.

“I found out I was going to start against Nipissing an hour before the game . . . Right away, I kind of went into this sense of this is an awesome opportunity and this is really what I’ve been looking forward to and a lot of first years do not get that opportunity,” said O’Brien. 

After a strong performance against the Lakers, O’Brien was once again named to the starting lineup against the Gryphons. He told the Silhouette the team was looking to get back on track after losing three of their last four games.

“We went into the weekend 1-3, which is where we didn’t want to be. So, the team went in with a lot of motivation," said O'Brien.

O’Brien has been playing volleyball at a competitive level for two years. With the recommendation of his high school coach, O'Brien started playing at a competitive level for a club team.

“When I made that team, I devoted all my spare time to volleyball. My first year was obviously a bit tough, being new to the sport, but I developed a lot in my second year in a short period of time,” said O’Brien.

In the span of two years, O’Brien played for Team Ontario and competed in the Canada Cup where he was named tournament All-Star.

Receiving a sports scholarship for McMaster, O’Brien said he’s loved every minute of being on the team so far.

“Everybody’s been a rookie, so [my teammates] have all been through it. Being a rookie in that locker room - I feel very supported,” said O'Brien.

O’Brien finished by expressing that he is looking forward to playing against the team's upcoming competition. “It’s an awesome experience getting to play against teams at their best, but we still have to show up and keep our winning streak going,” said O’Brien.

The Marauders will take on the Brock Badgers on Nov. 22nd and 23rd in St. Catherines. They will play 10 more OUA regular season games, hoping to make the finals on March 7, 2025.