ST. LOUIS, Mo. – The Miners claimed their second win in as many days by topping the Cumberland Phoenix 25-17, 25-16, 27-25. After winning the first two sets comfortably, the Miners fended off a late attempt to steal the third to win in straight sets.
Set 1:
The Phoenix opened the match going ahead 6-3 before
Nate Meyer (Arlington Heights, Ill./Hersey) record a pair of kills and a solo block to give the Miners their first lead of the match at 7-6. The scored would be tied six times in the ensuing points, before the Miners claimed their largest lead of the set at 18-13 off a four-point run that featured two kills by
Grant Edmonds (Shawnee, KS/Edison) and an ace by
Josh Duett (Grain Valley, Mo./Grain Valley). Coming out of a Cumberland timeout, the Phoenix would claim two points in a row to make it 18-15. The Miners dug in though and took seven of the last nine points to win the initial set 25-17.
Set 2:
Much like the first set, the Miners fell behind slightly before going on a 9-2 run to claim a five-point lead. S&T would see their lead shrink by one before stringing three points together, thanks to two kills and a solo block by
Caleb Rohlwing (Barrington, Ill./Barrington), to move ahead 17-10. The Miners cruised through the rest of the set, never allowing Cumberland to take more than one point at a time. Kills from Duett and
Henry Small (St. Louis, MO/Priory) ended the set at 25-16.
Set 3:
The third set began identically to the second, with the Miners going on a four-point run after being down 2-4. The Phoenix would close the gap, leading to the score being tied at sixes, sevens, and eights before the Miners went on a 3-0 run to claim a two-point advantage. Cumberland closed the gap again, tying the game at elevens, twelves, and thirteens. A six-to-one run by the Miners would allow them to take their largest lead of the third, 19-14. Cumberland would cut the deficit to three at 21-18 and eventually cut it to one at 23-22, prompting a timeout from S&T. Cumberland took the lead out of the timeout, going up 24-23 over the Miners, leading to a second timeout by S&T. A kill by
Tyler Johnwick (Lombard, IL/Glenbard East) would tie the game at 24-24 and Cumberland would burn a timeout of their own in response. A service error by Sallade put Cumberland within a point of taking the set, but Sallade redeemed himself next point with a kill that started a three-point run, leading to a 27-25 win for the Miners.
The Miners had their second-best hitting percentage in a match this season (.419 on 40 K/9 E/74 TA) and a season-low nine attacking errors today. They also had four more solo blocks today, bringing their season total up to 36, which is the second most in Division 1 volleyball. Sallade led the team in kills again with 13 this time, followed by Meyer with 10.
The Miners will be on the road again next week, with a trip to Manoa, Hawaii to face the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors.
