Marauders claw back from two set deficit to knock off NCAA No. 6 Ohio State

The party started early for the country's top team on New Year's Eve, as the McMaster Marauders climbed back from a two-set deficit to knock off the sixth-ranked team in the NCAA, the Ohio State Buckeyes, in Columbus.

Set scores were 18-25, 21-25, 25-10, 25-20, 15-12 in favour of the CIS no. 1-ranked Marauders, who gained a measure of revenge for their lost preseason slate in Columbus a season ago.

Carrying the load offensively as he has throughout this season, Stephen Maar was McMaster's leading scorer in the win, posting a match-high 19.5 points including 15 kills, four aces and a block assist. Fellow outsides Andrew Richards and Jayson McCarthy both chipped in 13 kills, with Richards hitting an efficient .324 (13-34). Reigning OUA Player of the Year Danny Demyanenko was a menace on the block, notching two solos and four assists to go along with nine kills.

Most of the night was spent with the teams neck-and-neck, and that's precisely how the contest began. Ohio State broke a spell of side-out volleyball when former American U21 national middle Driss Guessous sealed two consecutive points with his serve to give the Buckeyes a 16-14 lead at the technical timeout. A five-point run gave Ohio State all the separation they needed to seal the set, and they did as much when Miles Johnson killed for 25-18.

Just as the first had before it, the second set opened with little to choose between the two sides. They continued to trade points until two Marauder errors and a pair of Johnson aces pulled the hosts into the technical timeout ahead 16-12. Mounting an immediate comeback, Mac tied the set at 17 through a kill from Richards, and took a lead three points later when Peter Khodkevych found the floor with an ace.

But from 20-all, the Buckeyes launched a late run, scoring five of the next six points and grabbing a two-set lead when Johnson thumped down a kill for 25-21.

Facing the prospect of a short night, the Marauders struck decisively in the third set, grabbing a 7-2 lead early with Stephen Maar toeing the service line and knocking down two aces. Mac continued to dominate as the set aged, reeling off nine consecutive points through the technical timeout to hold a 21-7 advantage. The result was purely academic at that point, and after a Richards kill brought up set point, a Buckeye service error pulled the Marauders within a set.

Unsurprisingly, Ohio State returned a more organized team in set four, but McMaster clung to a lead earned early, and hit the technical timeout with a 16-15 advantage after a kill from McCarthy. Winning five of the next seven points, the Buckeyes pulled ahead at 20-18, but that was as many points as they would score in set four. Clinching the set with a seven-point run, the Marauders pushed the night to a fifth frame when Richards put another of his 13 kills to the floor.

With both teams scrambling for points in the abbreviated fifth, the match was completely level until the set hit 7-all, when Mac grabbed a two-point lead through a McCarthy kill and Johnson error. The hosts called time, but would never regain the lead, as a pair of hitting errors from Buckeye Nic Szerszen brought up and then sealed match point.

Having spoiled the final night of Ohio State's preseason, McMaster will now look to double down when the teams meet again on January 2, in a match that will register in the Buckeyes regular season.

Source: McMaster Marauders