ROLLA, MO -- Missouri S&T men's volleyball opened the 2025 Miner Volleyball Classic with a straight sets win over the Rockhurst Hawks, defeating their Intercollegiate Volleyball Association opponents 25-17, 25-19, 25-20.
Set 1
Kills from
Aaron Sallade (Palatine, Ill./William Fremd) and
Zachary Carff (O'Fallon, Mo./St. Dominic) aided in a 7-5 Miner lead in the opening stages of the match, allowing S&T to maintain a two-point lead at 15-13. Back-to-back kills by
Nate Meyer (Arlington Heights, Ill./Hersey) helped put S&T up by six at 19-13, before a three-point run by the Hawks cut that lead in half. Either Sallade or
Grant Edmonds (Huntington Beach, CA/Edison) would have a hand in five of the Miners next six points, helping S&T to a 6-1 run that gave them the opening set 25-17.
Set 2
S&T would find separation early in set #2, with
Tyler Johnwick (Lombard, IL/Glenbard East) picking up two block assists and a kill to lead the team on a 4-1 run that put them up 10-7. The Miners did not take long to build on their lead, adding a pair of 3-0 runs to extend their advantage to 17-10. Rockhurst managed to make it a four point game at 22-18, but kills from Meyer and Sallade, along with a Johnwick solo block, gave the Miners the final push they needed to take set two 25-19.
Set 3
The Miners continued their habit of starting a set with an early run, this time going on a 5-1 run to open a 7-3 lead. The Hawks had an answer this time though, responding with a 4-1 run to make it 8-7. S&T never relinquished the lead though, using a trio of double blocks go on another 5-1 run and take a 17-11 lead. A couple points later the Hawks would pick up three kills and an ace to cut into the Miner lead, eventually making it a one point game at 20-19. The Miners' front row helped seal the match for the Miners in the final points of the set, picking up a pair of double blocks to spark a 5-1 run to complete the Miners' sweep of the Hawks.
Notable Performances
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Edmonds: Set a career-high in blocks, denying Hawks attackers five times with four block assists and one solo block.
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Top Five Attack: The Miners' hitting percentage of .362 was their fifth-highest this season... picking up 36 kills on 69 attempts with only 11 errors.
What's Next
S&T plays the Roosevelt Lakers tomorrow at 5:30pm for their second and final match of the 2025 Miner Volleyball Classic
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