Odds stacked against Mac

Fraser Caldwell

Sports Editor

It’s not often that a team loses a quarterfinal and finds themselves in a national championship a few short weeks later, but that’s exactly what the Marauders are looking forward to this coming weekend.

Despite being roundly beaten by the Toronto Varsity Blues in an OUA quarterfinal on Feb. 18, the Maroon and Grey will compete in the coming CIS national championship tournament from Mar. 2-4 having secured an automatic entry as this year’s hosts.

That reality creates an interesting situation for the Marauders and their coaching staff, who have been tasked with overcoming the deflation of the playoff defeat and preparing for the country’s best.

McMaster coach Tim Louks believes that the relatively lengthy preparation period afforded to his team has been a saving grace, allowing them address technical and tactical issues at their own pace.

“Process-wise, the biggest thing is that we’ve been afforded some time to deal with our issues,” said the Marauder bench boss. “If we had to turn around and play again the same week, I think my anxiety level would have been at an all-time high. Because we just wouldn’t be allowing ourselves the time to process the information.”

The most obvious priority for the Marauders is a vast improvement in their efficiency on court, as they look to rein in the litany of errors that cost them so dearly against the Blues. Louks and his players are well aware that a clean match is a necessity, especially as they face up to a national quarterfinal against the country’s hottest team in the form of the Alberta Pandas.

“The information that Alberta is going to throw at us is going to come as fast as we’ve ever seen it,” said the coach. “We have to recover from 32 unforced errors and 16 balls off hands against the Blues. Of Toronto’s 75 points, we handed them 48. We’ve got to be better with regards to block interpretation and block execution.”

In winning the Canada West title, the Pandas dealt a rare loss to the four-time defending national champion UBC Thunderbirds. The odds are about as long as they could get for the Marauders, but Louks believes that his squad can make adjustments to at least challenge their upcoming opposition.

“Alberta will create far more one-on-ones based on their speed of play and ability to defend, and probably their ability to pass as well,” said Louks. “But we still have to be better at interpreting the block and being faster, to lower the number off hands for points. If they’re hitting around our block then fine, let’s dig.”

While the Pandas pose a daunting task for the tournament hosts, the Marauder coach points out that they are far from invincible.

“We’re playing the best team currently in Canada West and irrefutably one of the top three or four teams in the country all season long,” said Louks of the his team’s coming opponents. “Coach Eisler has them ready to play, game in and game out. But they still have six losses in their season. So how did that happen?”

In a David and Goliath situation, the Marauders’ only option is to throw caution to the wind and get up for the challenge at hand according to their coach.

“Fear no evil,” said Louks philosophically. “I’m not a religious man, but can you play with some abandon? Let’s call a spade a spade, we’re seeded eighth and it’s a lucky eight. We’re going in as the bottom seed and we know it. For us to improve our tournament standing, we have to take care of some points regardless of who our opponent is.

“If we don’t play in a way in which we’re managing our own game and our mental position then we’re not even giving ourselves the chance to find out if we can win. Let’s find out.”

Win or lose, the Marauders have a rare opportunity to gain match experience against the very best teams in Canada over the course of the national tournament. That practice has value in itself for a team that typically plies its trade in the frankly inferior OUA.

“This is such a marvelous opportunity, and we don’t play in these types of matches often enough,” said Louks of the competition at the national event. “I think the OUA is getting better and better and maybe we’re looking to the point where we’re seeing these kinds of matches more regularly, but we’re not there yet.”

The prospect of action on the national stage is especially inviting for the Marauders given their promising rookie contingent, two of whom – outside Lauren Mastroluisi and Taylor Brisebois – were named to the conference’s All-Rookie Team on Feb. 21. For her part, Mastroluisi was honoured further on Feb. 29, being named to the CIS All-Rookie Team during the national championship awards banquet.

With regards to his rookie hitter’s recent recognition, Louks was pleased to report that Mastroluisi will feature prominently in the weekend tournament and has earned that position on the strength of her continued development.

“You’re going to see her [Mastroluisi] start on Friday and that tells you something,” said the Marauder coach. “She’ll start because she deserves to. She’s practicing well, shaping some of her passing great and getting a grip on her service mechanics. Her level of comprehension has been outstanding and now it’s just a matter of continuing to develop her patience.”

There’s no better stage to develop and challenge oneself than the national championship, and Mastroluisi and her teammates will look to do just that this weekend. The Marauders’ quarterfinal matchup with the Alberta Pandas is slated to get underway at 8 p.m. in the Burridge Gym.