Mac hosting volleyball finale

The McMaster men’s volleyball team is hosting the OUA Final Four tournament this weekend featuring teams from Western, Ryerson and Waterloo. The Warriors are the only team to beat the Marauder men this season.

With the help of players like fourth-year outside hitter Jori Mantha who was named OUA player of the year earlier this week, the McMaster men’s volleyball team has definitely earned the honour of being the top-ranked team in Canada.

Fifth-year middle Tyson Alexander says his squad proudly takes those accolades in stride. “It’s sort of just a nice thing to have. We don’t put too much merit into it. We just know we have a target on our back regardless, so we just hope teams come and play their best against us, either way.”

They’ve had a number of tough matches — and lost only one during the regular season. Two-time CIS Coach of the Year Dave Preston, says he set out a number of goals for his players when they began training last summer, and so far they’ve met each one with confidence. “We’ve secured as much home court advantage as we can, so there’s where the regular season record matters. Now, the second season always gets fun.”

McMaster defeated Western to win last year’s OUA Final Four, and went on to the national championship at Laval, where the hosts prevailed in the gold medal game, three sets to one. Alexander says this year, his team is ready to take on all opponents.

“We never break apart at the seams, it’s a tight knit team, probably one of the most tight-knit I’ve been on. Even when teams push us really hard we fight through it and stay together well.”