HAMILTON, Ont. - The Ryerson Rams men's volleyball team dropped their second straight match on Friday night to yet another nationally-ranked opponent. The McMaster Marauders took care of their home court as they won their eighth straight OUA game, this time against the Rams in straight sets (25-22, 25-23, 25-17).

Despite the 3-0 scoreline, the Rams kept things very competitive for the majority of the game. 

In the first, the Marauders' numerous errors kept Ryerson right with them all set long. But with a series of middle kills that the Rams had no answer for, the Marauders came away with the first set by a small margin but with very little worries. It was in this set that McMaster demonstrated their experience, with simple plays and strong defence. 

The second set is the one the Rams will feel like they should have taken, which would have surely changed the momentum of the game. The Rams were executing excellent defence to offence plays and made next-to-no errors throughout the set. When a 22-19 lead for the Rams turned into a 23-23 tie game, Marauders senior Matt Passalent hit back-to-back big serves to help McMaster kill any possible momentum shift and stole the second set. 

After a devastating second set spill for the Rams, they never quite bounced back. The Marauders played loose and very confidently, which allowed them to dominate the third set and take it 25-17 to close out the match.

Marauder stand-outs were the fifth-year outside hitter pairing of Nathan Delguidice and Craig Ireland, who combined for 27 kills. Ireland racked up 10 kills on just 14 attempts to go along with seven digs on the night.

Rams outside-hitter Xander Ketrzynski (Toronto) had a rare inefficient game having just 11 kills on 38 attempts, putting up a hitting percentage of .079 compared to his season average of .259. 

Rams freshman Alex King (Ottawa, Ont.) also made his debut as a Ram against the Marauders, playing two sets and tallying a solo block and a service ace. 

The 6-5 Rams will be back on Sunday, taking on the 5-5 Brock Badgers in St.Catharines. First serve is at 4:00 p.m.