ST. LOUIS, Mo. – The Miners recorded their seventh win of the season after beating the Roosevelt Lakers, 3-0. In the match, S&T tied their season high for blocks in a three-setter with eight.
Set 1:
The Miners commanded the opening points of the game, going up 5-0. After a timeout by Roosevelt, the Lakers took four of the next five points. Three kills and two double blocks by the Miners in the ensuing points gave them an 11-4 lead. Later, a 3-0 run off an ace from
Nate Meyer (Arlington Heights, Ill./Hersey) and kills from
Aaron Sallade (Palatine, Ill./William Fremd) and
Tyler Johnwick (Lombard, IL/Glenbard East) furthered the Miners lead to 16-7. S&T would have their largest lead of the set at 24-14, but a four-point run by the Lakers would postpone the Miners taking the first set. A kill by Sallade would end the first set with a 25-18 victory for S&T.
Set 2:
Several attacking and serving errors by the Miners gave Roosevelt a 7-4 lead at the start of the second. But Meyer would have three kills and an ace to incite a 5-2 run and tie the game. A few points later, the Miners went on a six-to-one run to go up 16-12. The Lakers called a timeout and went on a 5-1 run immediately after to tie the game. At 18-18, the Miners won seven of the next ten points to take set two, 25-21.
Set 3:
The Miners held a slim lead early in the third, before recording two double blocks and two kills in a five-point run and go up 10-4. After a long delay at 13-6, play resumed, with S&T increasing their lead to 21-12 and forcing Roosevelt to call a timeout to try and salvage the match. The Lakers took five of the next six points to close the gap to 22-17. It would not be enough to catch the Miners though, as two kills from Johnwick and one from
Zachary Carff (O'Fallon, Mo./St. Dominic) were enough to put the third set to rest, 25-19.
Sallade led the team in kills with eleven. Johnwick had nine kills of his own, setting a personal high. Sallade and
Caleb Rohlwing (Barrington, Ill./Barrington) both had four block assists to lead the Miners defense. Meyer had three aces and Carff had another two, giving the Miners five aces on the night.
S&T volleyball will be back in action tomorrow morning at 11 a.m. playing Cumberland University.
