ROLLA, Mo. – The Miners won their second in a row after taking down the Central State Marauders in straight sets today.
Josh Duett (Grain Valley, Mo./Grain Valley) led the offensive attack with seven kills and a season best .417 attacking percentage.
Set 1:
The Miners jumped ahead to an early lead, going up 9-5 over CSU. A couple of kills from
Aaron Sallade (Palatine, Ill./William Fremd) and an ace from
Nate Meyer (Arlington Heights, Ill./Hersey) further extended the Miners' lead to seven. The Miners kept piling on to their lead with a kill from
Caleb Rohlwing (Barrington, Ill./Barrington), which started off a seven-to-two run as S&T took a commanding 21-10 lead over the visitors. Service errors from Central State made the last few points easy for the home team as the Miners went on to win the set 25-15.
Set 2:
Grogan Kraus (St. Charles, Mo./Francis Howell North), Meyer, Duett, and Rohlwing combined for twelve kills early in the second as the Miners went up 13-8 on CSU. The Miners controlled the second, not allowing the Marauders to score back-to-back points until late in the set when S&T was already up 23-14. The visitors closed the gap slightly in the final points, but the Miners were already out of reach this set and won it 25-18.
Set 3:
Duett started out the set with a service ace, as the Miners went on to take a 9-5 lead at the start of the third. The Marauders found a bit of confidence on back-to-back blocks as they brought the score within two of S&T, but the Miners remained consistent as a pair of kills from Duett helped them take an 18-13 lead. A point later, the Miners went on a five-point run, assisted by
Henry Small's (St. Louis, MO/Priory) two kills, to go up 23-14, ultimately leading to their taking the final set 25-17.
The Miners' .426 hitting percentage was their best in a match all season. Nine different Miners recorded a kill today, but they were led by Duett and Meyer who each had seven. The defensive front was led by Rohlwing, as his trio of solo blocks were the most by a Miner in a match this season.
The Miners start a five-game road stretch on February 13th with a visit to St. Louis to face the Maryville Saints.
