Gaels-Rams, Warriors-Marauders to clash in OUA Final Four tonight

BURLINGTON, Ont. – As the top remaining seed in OUA men's volleyball, the McMaster Marauders' Burridge Gymnasium will serve as host of the 2016 Final Four championship, set to take place Mar. 3-4. The winner will advance to the 50^th CIS championship, Mar. 10-12, also being hosted by McMaster.  

(1) McMaster Marauders vs. (5) Waterloo Warriors

The Marauders will enter the semifinal well rested, as their first place OUA finish provided them with a bye through the quarter-final round.

McMaster currently sits ranked No. 2 in the country and were a dominant force throughout the OUA regular season, having led the province in hitting percentage (.317), service aces per set (.190), blocks per set (2.44) and points per set (17.4). They took a perfect 17-0 record into the final three games of the season, and dropped two of those, after already clinching first place in the conference.

Two driving forces for the potent Marauders are outside hitter Stephen Maar (Aurora, Ont.), who led OUA this season in kills per set (4.29) and points per set (5.0), and last year's MVP Danny Demyanenko (Toronto, Ont.), who was third in the province in service aces per set (0.43) and blocks per set (1.10).  However, an injury shortened season saw the Toronto, Ont. native suit up for just 14 matches.

On paper the Warriors enter as underdogs, serving as the only lower seeded team in OUA men's volleyball to win their quarter-final matchup. But their No. 5 seed during the regular season could be deemed undermining, as they were forced to forfeit their five games due to the participation of an ineligible player.

Waterloo knocked off the No. 4 ranked Toronto Varsity Blues in quarter-final action 3-1, in a match that could've gone either way, with three of the four sets being decided by a mere three points or less (25-23, 25-20, 22-25, 25-23).

To no surprise, Waterloo libero Erich Woolley (New Dundee, Ont.) had a game-high 15 digs, following up on his OUA season leading 2.76 digs per set. Gibson Graham (Markham, Ont.) also didn't let the postseason deter his regular season play, as the third-year setter tossed up a remarkable 54 assists in the Warriors' win, after recording the second most assists per game during the regular season, with 10.08.

In the first matchup of the season between the Marauders and Warriors on Oct. 23, a full series of sets were required, with the Marauders winning the rubber match and consequently the game, 3-2 (17-25, 19-25, 25-23, 25-22, 15-8). McMaster setter Andrew Kocur (Toronto, Ont.) was instrumental in one of the Marauders' few scares of the season, setting up his teammates with a game-high 51 assists. Aidan Simone (London, Ont.) led the way for the Warriors, with team-highs of 12 kills and two aces, while adding six digs.

The second matchup took place just two weeks later, with the Marauders winning once again, but this time more convincingly, in straight sets 3-0 (25-16, 25-22, 25-15). Maar played a pivotal role in the sweep for the Marauders, with 13 kills, seven digs and an ace, while Braden Cok (Waterloo, Ont.) was one of the lone bright spots for the Warriors, recording an ace and a block to go along with his game-high 15 kills.

(2) Queen's Gaels vs. (3) Ryerson Rams

Not only are the Gaels and Rams just one seed apart in OUA, but they are also just a spot apart in the CIS rankings, sitting at No. 9 and No. 10, respectively, which sets the stage for a semifinal matchup that has the potential to go right down to the wire.

The Gaels made quick work of the York Lions in their quarter-final showdown, winning in straight sets 3-0 (25-20, 25-20, 25-18).

As he did most of the year, Marko Dakic (Mississauga, Ont.) led the Gaels to victory, recording game-highs in kills (13), digs (10) and points (14.5), while adding an ace. In the 2015-16 season, Dakic had the fifth most kills in OUA (246), to go along with the conference's third best hitting percentage (.350). Jamie Wright (Kingston, Ont.) also followed up a strong season with a good start to playoffs, with a game-high 33 assists for the Gaels in their quarter-final victory, after he had the fourth highest mark for assists per set in the regular season (9.61).

The Rams needed four sets to take down the Western Mustangs in the quarter-final round, with two of them needing extra points, topping them 3-1 (25-16, 27-25, 24-26, 25-16).

Lucas Coleman (Brooklin, Ont.) set the pace for the Rams this year, finishing in the top five in the province in kills per set (3.99), total kills (246) and hitting percentage (.335), and did so once again in playoffs, netting a game-high 21 points while adding two aces and two digs. After leading OUA in assists per set this season (10.94), Adam Anagnostopoulos (Waterloo, Ont.) stayed true to form, recording an impressive game-high 46 assists.

Despite being the lower seed in the matchup, the Rams had the Gaels' number this season. Ryerson won the first conference matchup, sweeping the sets 3-0 (25-17, 25-23, 25-18) on Oct. 30. Dakic and Ryerson's Alexander Dawson (Scarborough, Ont.) led their teams in kills with 15 and 13, respectively, while the latter also recorded a game-high five service aces. Libero Will Otten (Delaware, Ont.) of Ryerson and Ivo Dramov (Plovdiv, Bulgaria) of Queen's both had game-highs, with eight digs.

The second conference match between the two got underway on Jan. 30, with the Rams once again winning, this time by a score of 3-1 (22-25, 25-21, 25-18, 25-21). Dakic yet again set the pace for Queen's in kills, with a game-high 20, followed Scott Brunet (Calgary, Alta.) and Mike Tomlinson (Stratford, Ont.), who both had eight. Coleman had a game-high 23 points and the most kills for the Rams (18), followed by Robert Wojcik (Whitby, Ont.), who had 10, accompanied by a game-high of seven digs.

It will be the Gaels taking on the Rams in the first semi-final matchup at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, with the host Marauders and Warriors battling it out immediately after at 8:00 p.m. The gold and bronze medal games will take place the following day.

Fans can catch all the action live this weekend on OUA.tv