ROLLA, Mo. – The Miners took down NAIA opponent Talladega College in straight sets tonight. Missouri S&T won in dominant fashion against the first-year volleyball team, never trailing at any point in the match.
Set 1:
Zachary Carff (O'Fallon, Mo./St. Dominic) returned to the starting lineup tonight and started the match off with a kill, assisted by
Grant Edmonds (Shawnee, KS/Edison). After a pair of three-point scoring runs that included kills from
Aaron Sallade (Palatine, Ill./William Fremd),
Nate Meyer (Arlington Heights, Ill./Hersey), and
Grogan Kraus (St. Charles, Mo./Francis Howell North), the Miners held a 12-6 lead over the visitors. Another three-point run with a service ace from Sallade put the Miners up 17-8, prompting coach
Ryan Thompson to put the first of what would be many substitutions into the game. The Tornadoes matched the Miners in the following points, bring the score to 22-13, but that just brought the home team closer to finishing off the first set. After another pair of substitutions by S&T, the Tornadoes went on a five-point run primarily due to some uneasy play from the subs. Coach Thompson trusted his players to regain control, which proved to be the right move as Kraus and
Tyler Johnwick (Lombard, IL/Glenbard East) each had a kill en route to a 25-20.
Set 2:
Recognizing the opportunity to allow his depth players to gain some in-game experience, Coach Thompson began the next set with
Jordan Orr (Eureka, Mo./Eureka) and
Henry Small (St. Louis, MO/Priory) in the lineup. A pair of kills from Carff, as well as one each from Kraus and Johnwick put the Miners up 4-1. Talladega would pick up three blocks in the next several points as they tied the game at seven all. A strong spike from
Josh Duett (Grain Valley, Mo./Grain Valley) would end the Tornadoes run and start a five-point run for the Miners. A ten-to-one run by the Miners that included aces from Orr and Duett put the Miners up 17-8. Four other depth players got playing time as the Miners maintained their lead and won the set 25-15.
Set 3:
Camden Seaver (Palatine, IL/William Friend) had a pair of kills early to put the Miners up by two before the Tornadoes tied the game at 5-5. After a kill from Duett prevented Talladega from taking their first lead of the match, Orr went back to serve and picked up a couple of aces as the Miners went on an eight-point run to take a 13-5 lead. Not long after that, S&T had another scoring run that helped put them up 17-6. Coach Thompson continued to substitute through his depth players as the two teams traded points, with the Miners eventually going up 22-12. S&T ended the match on a three-point run off of a kill from
Adam Koniecko (Bartlett, IL/Bartlett) and a double block from
Ryan Sword (Fairfax, Va./W.T. Woodson) and
Erik Giezycki (Vernon Hills, IL/Vernon Hills) to take the third set 25-12 and win their fifth match of the season.
Kraus, Duett, and Johnwick led the team in kills with six apiece. Orr's 3 aces and 25 assists were also an important part of the Miners' offense tonight. Kraus a solo block and two block assists to lead the Miners' defensive front. While it does not show up in the stats, he also played a key role in attacks blocked back throughout the match.
The Miners look to win a second match in a row when they host the Central State Marauders in Gibson Arena at 3 p.m. tomorrow. The Miners and Marauders played twice last year with the Miners winning the second matchup in five sets.
