ORANGEBURG, NY -- Missouri S&T Men's Volleyball has won their third match in a row, defeating Dominican in four sets. The Miners took the first two sets but fell by two in the third frame before finishing the match in set four at 25-23, 25-23, 23-25, 30-28.
Nate Meyer (Arlington Heights, Ill./Hersey) had one of the best matches of his career in the four set victory over Dominican, recording 26 kills, 2 aces, 3 blocks for a total of 30 points. He surpassed 1000 career points and reached 100 career service aces in the match. The team set a new program record for kills in a four set match, putting down 61 against the Chargers.
S&T and Dominican remained knotted up early in the first set as neither team led by more than two through the first 18 rallies. A trio of kills and a block from the Chargers gave them a 4-0 run, an advantage that would be immediately erased when the Miners took eight of the next ten points, going up 17-15. Three more Dominican kills put the host team ahead by one, but a kill from
Aaron Sallade (Palatine, Ill./William Fremd) and a solo block from
Tyler Johnwick (Lombard, IL/Glenbard East) gave the Miners the edge again. The teams continued to trade points, but the Miners capitalized on a solo block from Meyer at 23-21, allowing them to take the opening frame 25-23.
Sallade recorded three of the Miners first nine points in the second set, giving them a 9-8 lead. A 7-3 run by the Chargers gave them their largest lead of the set, pulling ahead 15-12.
Caleb Rohlwing (Barrington, Ill./Barrington) contributed an ace and a kill to a 4-1 S&T run that tied the set at 17-17, opening the door for the Miners to pull ahead by one before winning the set at 25-23 after a couple of kills and an ace from Meyer late in the frame.
The Miners found themselves in a three point hole early in the set, but Johnwick would lead a 4-0 run to take a 16-15 lead later getting two kills and a block in that stretch. Dominican responded with a 5-0 run, putting them up 20-16. S&T didn't fold though, taking four of the next five points, including
Aris Maurukas' (Lisle, IL/Benet Academy) first career ace as the Miners cut the deficit to one at 23-22 before dropping the set three points later.
Meyer dominated the early points of set four, picking up two kills and combining with Johnwick and
Grant Edmonds (Huntington Beach, CA/Edison) on a triple block to put the Miners up 4-1. Dominican's Phinehas Wiley led a 5-1 answer, putting the Chargers up 7-6. The hosts would lead by as many as three in the following points, up 14-11 before a 5-0 S&T run put the Miners ahead 16-14. Dominican retook the lead just a little while later, using a 4-1 run to go ahead 21-20. A kill by Meyer and a double block put S&T up by one again at 23-22, leading to a match point at 24-23 after a kill from Meyer. The Chargers pushed the Miners to their limit late, saving five match points before a trio of kills from Meyer ended the match at 30-28.
The Miners win streak is up to three now, tying the longest in the
Ryan Thompson era. The Miners' 61 kills was not the only program record from the match, with the team's 56 assists and Edmond's 50 assists both breaking records for most in a four set match.
What's Next
The Miners conclude their road trip with a match against St. Thomas Aquinas College tomorrow.
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