Hamilton, ON- Ben Kerkhoff knew what he had to do to stay composed. He and his McMaster Marauder men’s volleyball teammates and coaches have worked on it all year.

Kerkhoff heard them talk about composure throughout the season. About playing clean volleyball. About how they have to focus on the details. So, when their OUA semi-final game against the Guelph Gryphons approached…

They executed those details and won in three sets to reach the Forsyth Cup finals and nationals. They attacked and defended. They responded to Guelph’s points and runs.

“Today was an excellent example of us being able to stick to those details and execute our game plan,” Kerkhoff said. “Point after point.”

How does he do so? The libero thinks of all the conversations with coaches about managing emotions during the game or tactics and situations. He’ll talk with teammates about how to support each other and talk through those tough moments – so they can stay focused through a whole game.

When Kerkhoff connects with them, he finds himself getting out of his own head and onto the same page with his teammates. He feels how fun it is.

He’s talked with them about breathing. When he’s getting ahead of himself, he’ll take a couple of deep breaths, to stay focused to do what he does best.

He and his teammates have built those connections and gotten to know each other better and better since the start of the season.

Now, when Kerkhoff enters a huddle, he feels that connection between them. He feels the belief they will pull it out. When he looks around, he sees Brendan Mills’ composure. He sees Maxime Gratton and Robbie Fujisawa’s leadership. He sees the true character of his team.

They huddled after each of Guelph’s points and their own. They came together in celebration after Brady Paterson’s game-winning kill.

Let’s rewind though to understand how it happened. Let’s go back to practice. “Our best week of practice all year,” Mills called it.

The outside hitter saw how they scouted Guelph’s game plan to a tee – and prepared for it. He saw how everyone – even those who didn’t play – contributed to doing so. “They put in so much good work during the week,” he said. “They deserve just as much credit as the guys who are on the court.”

When the game started, the Marauders carried all that preparation onto the court. They did their jobs and followed their game plan against the Gryphons. “They weren’t ready for us,” Mills noted.

The Marauders took care of the details early, according to head coach Brad Douwes. They took care of their reception against Guelph. They set up their blocking and defence from the opening serve. They forced the Gryphons to hit the shots they wanted to hit – into the meat of their defence.

Douwes saw libero Matthew Rugosi diggings balls. He saw Mills and Fujisawa engaged defensively. He saw how focused the players were coming into the match. How after they defended, they then put pressure on Guelph.

All their focus and preparation paid off. All their connections and composure as well. Now, McMaster will attempt to defend their Forsyth Cup championship for the third year in a row when they face the Queen’s Gaels on Mar. 8 in the Burridge Gym.

They’ve beaten the Gaels twice at home to start the preseason before splitting the regular season with them one game apiece in Kingston.

The team will go into the game with the preparation they had against Guelph. Recovery for one – getting their bodies ready. Video breakdowns for another. Alongside looking at situations and tactics, they’ll also look at their composure, according to Kerkhoff.

They’ll look at moments where their composure was tested. Moments when they might feel the stress. They’ll talk about how to handle that as they make their game plan.

Kerkhoff knows what he has to do to be composed. He knows what that feels like.

Featured Image: Kevin Lassel/McMaster Athletics