HAMILTON, Ont. – Despite a hot start that saw them take the first set, Western was unable to topple the U SPORTS No. 2 McMaster Marauders and eventually fell in four sets (25-23, 15-25, 16-25, 16-25) on Saturday afternoon at the Burridge Gymnasium.
 
The loss brings the Mustangs' record to an even 4-4, and they remain in a tie for third in the OUA West alongside Waterloo, while McMaster stays on top of the OUA at 8-0.
 
Bryn Ramsay topped the purple and white scoresheet with ten points, while Chris Newcombe and Mike Choja followed with eight points each. For McMaster, it was Brandon Koppers who led the offensive effort. The veteran racked up 22 points throughout four sets, with six of those points coming from his serve.
 
Despite the loss, the game marks the first time all year that the Marauders have dropped the first set of the match, and only the third time they've been unable to sweep their opponent with two of those three occurrences coming against Western.
 
The Mustangs stayed competitive throughout the first set by relying on Gavin Taylor and Ramsay to put the ball away at the net, while McMaster spread the ball around the court. Despite a more varied offence, the Marauders struggled to string together point runs.
 
Western offered greater accuracy, while the Marauders uncharacteristically struggled to maneuver the ball both around the block and within the boundaries of the court.
 
The tightly contested back and forth battle ended in favour of the Mustangs, with the Marauders dropping a first set for the first time all season long by a two-point margin.
 
McMaster came out swinging in the second frame, looking to redeem themselves after the first set loss. Their well-balanced offence was in peak form, capitalizing on every touch, and supporting their premier lineup at the net was scrappy defensive play that made the most of every rally.
 
Setter Andrew Kocur spread chances out between Koppers, Demyanenko, and McCarthy, relying on the versatility of the team to carry them through. It paid off, with McMaster running over the Mustangs for a 25-15 finish.
 
Returning for the third set, Western initially appeared to be back in the form that allowed them to take the first.
 
Chris Newcombe utilized his height at the net to avoid the towering blocks of Koppers and Demyanenko, while Ramsay handled a series of hard hits in the backcourt to keep options open for setter Matt Hooker. 
 
A two-point purple and white lead from early in the set would soon turn into a deficit of the same margin, as Western's blockers struggled with timing and defensive gaps began to emerge. The Marauders, for their part, continued their characteristic tall blocks. When they weren't shutting down the Mustangs offence, they were getting enough of a touch on the ball to take some power off and allow for an easy pass up.
 
David Doty ended the third set quickly after joining the floor, sending out a pair of back-to-back aces to end the frame with a score of 25-16.    
 
The Marauders continued to dominate the pace of the game into the fourth set, relying on the same patterns that have carried them through the year.
 
Serving continued to be a point of strength for the Marauders, frequently forcing Western out of system to send free balls over the net. Every time McMaster received the opportunity, they slammed the ball right back at the Mustangs.
 
A three-point run carried the Marauders to the 25-point mark to close out the set 25-16, and take the match in four.
 
The Mustangs are back in action tomorrow at 4 p.m., when they take on the Brock Badgers at the Bob Davis Gymnasium in St. Catharines, Ont.