ROLLA, MO — Missouri S&T battled through five tightly contested sets Thursday night, pushing visiting Rockhurst to the limit before falling 3–2 in extra points.
Caleb Rohlwing (Barrington, Ill./Barrington) recorded a career-high 12 kills on the night, hitting .750.
The Miners opened the match with energy and efficiency, taking the first set 25–21. Missouri S&T hit an impressive .556 in the frame, recording 17 kills to Rockhurst's 12. After falling behind by as many as three early, kills from the Miners drew even to make it 18-18. A 5-1 run, emphasized by a solo block by Rohlwing put S&T in the drivers seat late, giving them the space needed to take set one on a
Nate Meyer (Arlington Heights, Ill./Hersey) kill.
Rockhurst responded in the second set, capitalizing on a short Miner scoring drought to build separation midway through the frame. Missouri S&T began closing the gap late, getting kills from
Tyler Johnwick (Lombard, IL/Glenbard East) and
Camden Seaver (Palatine, IL/William Fremd) before dropping the set as the Hawks drew even.
The third set proved to be another back-and-forth battle, with neither team leading by more than two points until a 3-0 Rockhurst run put the Hawks ahead 13-9. The Miners quickly cut into that deficit, with a kill by Rohlwing starting a 4-1 run that made it a one-point set at 14-13. The Hawks benefited from S&T errors late, moving ahead 22-17, putting the pressure back on S&T. Three consecutive kills by the Miners began a comeback that cut the deficit to two, but the Hawks closed the set on a 3-1 run to move ahead two sets to one.
Facing elimination, the Miners dug in for set four, delivering some of their best play of the evening. They recorded five kills and two blocks early, taking a 9-8 advantage. The Hawks moved ahead with a 5-0 run, threatening to end the match in the fourth, but S&T responded with a 6-1 run to retake the lead at 15-14. The teams traded the lead twice more in the following points, with the Miners taking a 21-18 lead after kills from Meyer and Rohlwing. Johnwick, Seaver, and Rohlwing contributed kills in the final points of the set, taking it 25-21.
Missouri S&T carried momentum into the final frame, jumping ahead 4–1 early after a service ace from
Aaron Sallade (Palatine, Ill./William Fremd). The Miners held the lead through much of the set, with key kills from Johnwick, Seaver, and Rohlwing keeping S&T in front. Rockhurst rallied late midway, taking the lead on a 4-1 run. However, kills from Sallade and Seaver gave the Miners the advantage again at 10-8. S&T held the lead at 12-10, but the Hawks closed the match strong, taking six of the final eight points, despite an electric triple block by S&T to save match point, winning the decisive set at 16-14.
Offensively, the Miners were paced by Seaver with 16 kills, while Meyer added 14. Rohlwing contributed a career-high 12 kills and hit .750 while adding two blocks and an ace. Johnwick and Meyer combined for 2 solo blocks and 7 block assists and the Miners ended with 8.5 blocks on the night. Bartosz Chmieleski led the team with 10 digs, with Seaver chipping in a career-high nine.
What's Next
The Miners host the Hawks again on Friday at 4pm.
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