Continuing a cross-border rivalry that started in 2014, the McMaster men’s volleyball team will welcome the NCAA champion Ohio State Buckeyes to Hamilton for a pair of matches on Saturday, October 21 at 7 p.m. and Sunday, October 22 at 2 p.m.

Ohio State has won the last two NCAA national championships, while the Marauders are riding a string of five consecutive OUA titles. The last time these volleyball titans saw each other was on December 30, 2016, when a capacity crowd packed into the Burridge Gym for the Buckeyes’ first visit to Canada. The large horde of home fans cheered the Marauders on to victory in the single match 3-0 (25-23, 25-16, 32-30).

“We are very excited to have the defending NCAA champions in our gym again,” said Marauder Coach Dave Preston. “This will be a great opportunity for our student-athletes to play at an extremely high level, while giving our fans another chance to see some world-class competition.”

“I can’t think of a better way to help prepare ourselves to compete for a National Championship in our own gym next March,” adds Preston.

With Ohio State eager for another shot at their Canadian rivals, and due to the tremendous response shown by the local volleyball community, McMaster Coach Preston and Ohio State mentor Pete Hanson have added a second match to the weekend visit.

Since the Marauders’ first trip to Columbus in 2014, McMaster has enjoyed a slight edge in the head-to-head match-up versus the Buckeyes, by winning three of the five matches played.

Tickets are still available and can be found HERE.