It's a rematch of last year's CIS Semi-Final this week as the Mustangs head to Hamilton to take on the Marauders for their season opener on Friday, October 17.
McMaster may have taken the OUA title last year but the Mustangs got the last laugh at nationals, upsetting the Marauders in the semi-finals on their way to winning silver. After a long summer to reflect on the loss, the Marauders will be looking for revenge this week as the two teams begin the battle for OUA supremacy on McMaster's home turf.
Western finished second in the regular season last year with a record of 17-3, two wins behind the first-place Marauders at 19-1. After the Mustangs dispatched Waterloo in the semi-finals, they would meet McMaster in the finals, falling 16-25, 25-21, 19-25, 15-25 to settle for OUA silver.
However, the Marauders wouldn't have it as easy in the CIS Semi-Finals, failing to recover from a first set loss on the way to a 25-23, 17-25, 30-28, 25-20 victory for Western. It was the perfect send-off fo Western's talented seniors, including CIS First-Team All-Canadian Garett May and OUA First-Team All-Star Phil James.
The two silver medals also helped serve as a confidence boost for the returning Mustangs— a core that's highlighted by Justin Scapinello, Matt Silver, and Doug Austrom. That core will assume new leadership roles as they welcome nine new players to the squad in 2014.
Scapinello was a big factor in Western's post-season success last season, recording 3.17 kills per set and 21 digs through the Mustangs' three games at nationals. He was also solid during the regular season, leading the returning Mustangs in kills per set with 2.51 and 133 overall.
Meanwhile, Silver held down the fort defensively, registering a team-leading 124 digs for an average of 1.82 digs per set through 19 matches and 68 sets. Austrom was also a big help defensively, putting up 68 digs while displaying his offensive talent with 1.47 kills per set.
McMaster looks equally as dangerous this year, as they will welcome back a number of the staples of their OUA championship winning team. Eleven players will be back for another kick at the can, while five players will be joining the team for the first time.
Veteran Jori Mantha, who will be back for his fifth season this year, was first on the Marauders and fourth in the OUA in kills last year with 210, also topping the OUA's charts in hitting percentage at .364%. Just behind him on the OUA leaderboard in hitting percentage was fellow returnee Jayson McCarthy in third at .288%.
Defensively, the Marauders also have some of their key players back in Pawel Jedrzejewski and Stephen Maar. Jedrzejweski led the team with 108 total digs in 63 sets for an average of 1.71 digs per set while Maar was second-best with 85 digs and an average of 1.35 digs per set.
Game time for Friday's season opening matchup is set for 8 p.m. at McMaster's Burridge Gym. Fans can watch all the action live via the Marauders webcast on OUA.tv.
