The Guelph Gryphons and the McMaster Marauders matched up tonight (Oct. 29) in Guelph at the W.F. Mitchell Center. The Gryphons experienced a disappointing loss during their second regular season game after the Marauders dominated the court, finishing a quick 3-0. Set scores were 20-25, 22-25, and 16-25.
 
The Gryphons drop to 1-1, while the Marauders advance to 3-1.
 
The Gryphons struggled in the first set to respond to Marauder attacks. A lot of points were lost in the back-court after blocks failed and there was no one to save it. The Marauders had a strong offensive front with Jeremy Groenveld (Welland,ON) and Kevin Stevens (Winnipeg, MB).  The Gryphons began to fall in points and had called time-outs in the first to try and re-group. Andrew Whitaker (Sharon, ON) and Winston Rosser (Whitby, ON) tried to close the gap but couldn't catch up in time – the set finishing 20-25.
 
Guelph had a stronger start in the second set and moved with more confidence. Rosser and Whitaker continued to contribute to the score-board, while Ryan Killeen(Oakville, ON) shut down aggressive Marauder attacks. At one point the Gryphons led 11-5 and it looked like they were going to take the set, but McMaster rebounded quickly. The Marauders played an amazing defensive game and their players ran into objects and people off the court a number of times in their dedication to return the ball into play. The Marauders managed to equalize the score, and the points were awarded back-and-forth until McMaster took the lead in the last minutes. Some controversial referee calls didn't help the Gryphons deficit and Stevens eventually took the final kill to end it 22-25.
 
The third set was also a strong start for the Gryphons, who managed to build a couple point lead and maintain it. Michael Sjonnesen (Cambridge, ON), Groenveld and Stevens soon started to wreak havoc for Guelph and slowly the Marauders overcame the score-board and took off. Guelph's confidence seemed to be shaken and their defense broke down in the last minutes of the game. A final Gryphon attack error ended the third set, 16-25.
 
The Gryphons were led by Whitaker with 13 kills and 2 digs, along with Rosser who had 9 kills and 1 dig. Groenveld led the Marauders with 15 kills and 5 digs, as well as Stevens with 7 kills and 2 digs.
 
The Gryphons play the Toronto Varsity Blues next in Toronto on November 4, 2011. The game begins at 6 p.m.