The Queen’s Gaels swept the McMaster Marauders in three sets on Friday night at home. The Gaels were led by outside hitter Nikola Mitrovic (Economics) who made 11 kills and 2 service aces, while Reed Venning (Arts & Science) contributed 10 kills. Setter Chris Zimmerman (Arts) orchestrated the offense with 30 assists, 1 service ace, and 1 kill.
Seven unanswered points by the Gaels early in the first set allowed them to find a 10-6 lead against the visiting Marauders. Both sides struggled with service errors, slowing the momentum of the game, however, the Gaels remained unfazed. Queen’s held a steady lead throughout the set and were able to hold onto it with the help of kills from Venning, Mitrovic, and Alex Brdarevic (Engineering). The Gaels reached set point with a 24-19 lead and won the set off a service ace from Brdarevic.
The second set featured long rallies, as both teams were sharp on defense and continued to challenge each other. The Gaels pulled away with a 14-7 lead after generating five consecutive points, as McMaster struggled with their attack errors. Libero Carter Sedgewick (Arts) made a huge diving dig to keep a rally alive, with Ben Carr (Arts & Science) ultimately coming through with a kill, which had the home crowd roaring. The Gaels reached set point off a double block from Mitrovic and Brdarevic, and closed the second set 25-16 with a quick connection between Zimmerman and Brdarevic.
Queen’s continued to look confident on their offense in the third and final set. Setter Zimmerman came through with a kill that caught the Marauders by surprise early in the set, exciting the home bench. Mid-set, Zimmerman and Brdarevic connected to put up back-to-back kills amidst a 7-point streak, bringing the Gaels an 18-11 lead. Outside hitter Mitrovic continued to be a threat at the net, ending the game on a kill to take the final set 25-17.
Up next, the Gaels will rematch against the Marauders tomorrow at 5:30pm for their final regular season home game of the season. Queen’s improves their record to 13-4 and hold a four-game win streak, as they contend for the top spot in the OUA.