WINNIPEG – Four different players recorded at least ten kills for the No. 2 McMaster Marauders, as the OUA champs knocked off the No. 8 Manitoba Bisons 3-1 (25-17, 25-14, 16-25, 27-25) on Sunday afternoon in the consolation final of the U SPORTS men's volleyball championship at Investors Group Athletic Centre.
Robbie Fujisawa, who led the OUA with 9.90 assists per set, distributed the ball well all game, and had 52 assists overall. The Bisons, who fought back from 0-2 down and nearly took the fourth, were led by middle Darian Koskie, who had seven kills and a .467 attacking percentage, along with two solo blocks and five assisted blocks. Second-year setter Isaak Fast, who was the lead distributor for Manitoba in the third and fourth sets, added 20 assists and four digs in an exciting back-and-forth contest.
"We didn't quite get into the game in the first two sets. I think the switch at the setter position bringing Isaak in brought a little bit of energy and it helped a lot," said Bisons head coach Arnd 'Lupo' Ludwig.
"We showed that we belong in this group and that we are top six in Canada. We had them close in the fourth set. We played well, we executed a lot better. It was a little bit unlucky that we touched the net there on their attack at 25-24 [in the fourth set]."
Service pressure was the story of the first set, as Mac's Max Gratton went on a run to start the game, recording two aces in the first six points to help his side take a commanding 7-0 lead. The Bisons got as close as five, led by a kill and three digs from first-year left side Spencer Grahame, but couldn't close the gap, as the Marauders hit .250 overall, including four kills and a .429 hitting percentage from outside Brendan Mills. In fitting fashion, Gratton closed the set out with his third ace.
Both teams ran the pipe well in a back-and-forth second set. Grahame and Carleton combined for three kills in the opening eight points for the Herd, but the Marauders took control with the score 11-9.
It was during that time that Fujisawa — who had 21 assists entering the third — opened up the Marauders' attack. He connected with Peter Rugosi and Gratton twice in the next four points, while Rugosi also added a service ace and an assisted block as Mac scored the next five points and didn't surrender their lead the rest of the way. Rugosi led the way with six kills, and a .667 hitting percentage after having zero attacks in the first.
Fast — a burst of energy all year in practice who, along with Koskie trained with Canada's U21 roster in Quebec this summer — carried the passing load in the third set. He took over for veteran Jack Mandryk, who had an excellent weekend and had nine assists, two digs and an assisted block through two. The former dished out 11 assists in a well-balanced and versatile attack that hit at 38 percent.
Carleton led the way with four kills on 11 attacks, while Grahame had three kills and Koskie had two. Rugosi and middle Navreet Suhan were the offensive catalysts for Mac with six combined kills.
"Honestly, anything I can do to help the team win, is what I'm going to try to do, whether it's going crazy on the bench and cheering on my teammates or coming in and making plays, I'm happy to do it. We have a great group of guys. Today is just happened to be my turn to go in and set," said Fast.
"Jack is a fantastic setter and I love getting to work with him. He's taught me so much about the game. I'm just grateful for the opportunity and being able to do it in front of my parents and the home fans, it's awesome."
The 6'3" Fast also added a solo block on Gratton with the score 17-12, which got the Bisons bench fired up as the Herd extended the contest to four.
"I'm not a very big guy to begin with, I'll get the cat out of the bag, so I don't get a lot of blocks. Any time I do, it's really exciting for me," added Fast with his textbook smile and enthusiasm.
"I'm a pretty high-flying player. My energy rides high. I played against Max all summer, so I knew some of his things and I knew our game plan to block cross-court. I'll be honest, I just got lucky. I was super happy. Everything just clicked and it was awesome. I was surprised myself, it was an exciting play."
After being held in check during the second and third sets, Fujisawa went back to the team's leading attacker Sam Cooper in the fourth. He had five kills prior to the technical timeout and eight overall, showing his skill from the left side.
After going down 13-9, Manitoba fought back to take a 16-15 lead at the technical due in part to the play of captain Owen Schwartz. The veteran, who was playing in his final university game, along with libero Kyle Martens, who had eight digs, and middle Zach Janzen, went on a run at the service line that included an ace. He kept his service pressure up with the Bisons down 22-20, as they took leads of 23-22 and 25-24, but couldn't close things out.
A dagger from Mills, which looked out originally, painted the back corner to tie things at 25, and the Marauders won the next two points to take the match.
