QUINCY, Ill. – Missouri S&T's men's volleyball team ran head-on into an undefeated Quincy team Tuesday and the Hawks recorded their fourth consecutive straight set win as they down the Miners by scores of 25-21, 25-23 and 25-15 at Pepsi Arena.
S&T held leads at various points during the front end of the opening set, leading 9-8 before the Hawks ran off three straight points to take the lead. The Miners were able to get the lead back as 12-11 following a combined block by
Caleb Rohlwing (Barrington, Ill./Barrington) and
Aaron Sallade (Palatine, Ill./William Fremd), then continued going back-and-forth with Quincy for the much of the remainder of the set.
The Miners (3-3) tied the set at 21 on a kill by Sallade, but Quincy (4-0) ran off the last four points to secure the set victory.
The second set saw the Miners make a 4-0 run to take a 10-5 lead, highlighted by a service ace by Sallade and a solo block by
Tyler Johnwick (Lombard, IL/Glenbard East). S&T would lead 14-9 after another kill by Sallade, but the Hawks would score four straight points to draw closer before the Miners used another scoring run to go back up by five and maintained that lead until Quincy made a late run to take the set.
S&T had a 21-17 lead after a Quincy service error, but the Hawks rattled off six points in succession to take the lead and held off the Miners late in the set. The Miners got within one twice, the last on a kill by Sallade that cut the lead to 24-23, but Raje Alleyne – who was a thorn in the Miners' side all night – got a kill on the next point to win it for Quincy.
The Hawks took control early in set three, going in front at 5-4 and never surrendering the advantage. S&T was within a point at 9-8 following a block by
Nate Meyer (Arlington Heights, Ill./Hersey), but Quincy proceeded to outscore the Miners 8-2 to take a seven-point lead and didn't look back, finishing the match by scoring six of the final seven points.
Meyer led the Miners with 10 kills in the match and Sallade finished with nine, but S&T recorded a .090 attack percentage in the match with 20 errors in the three sets.
Grant Edmonds (Shawnee, KS/Edison) had 22 assists for the Miners.
Alleyne had a match-high 22 kills for Quincy and also had a hand in three of the Hawks' five blocks, as he hit .447 in the contest while QU hit .286 as a team.
Missouri S&T returns to action Friday when it hosts Saint Xavier in a 7 p.m. match at Gibson Arena.
