CHICAGO, IL -- Missouri S&T Men's Volleyball fell in five sets to the Roosevelt Lakers on Saturday afternoon, splitting their weekend series against them 1-1.
Tyler Johnwick (Lombard, IL/Glenbard East) led an early charge by the Miners in the first set, combining with
Camden Seaver (Palatine, IL/William Fremd) and
Aaron Sallade (Palatine, Ill./William Fremd) for a trio of double blocks that put S&T ahead 8-4. A pair of service aces from the Lakers fueled a 5-1 charge that tied the set at 9-9, but a 7-2 response from the Miners put them back in front at 16-11. S&T's final five points of the set were all kills, with Sallade and Johnwick each contributing two as the Miners claimed the opening set 25-22.
After falling behind 4-1 in the second set, the Miners stormed back with five unanswered points to take a 6-4 lead. A 4-1 Roosevelt run gave them the edge at 15-14, but kills by Sallade and
Caleb Rohlwing (Barrington, Ill./Barrington) built a 3-0 response to put the Miners ahead by two again. S&T still held a one-point advantage at 22-21, but Roosevelt picked up a pair of key blocks in the final points to take the set 25-22 and draw even.
Kills from
Nate Meyer (Arlington Heights, Ill./Hersey) and Rohlwing helped S&T to an early 5-0 run in the third that put them up by three at 7-4. Roosevelt claimed the next two points to make it 7-6 but would fail to score more than a single point at a time the rest of the match. The team hit .370 in the set, using runs of 4-1 and 6-1 to claim the frame at 25-15.
Roosevelt built a strong lead early in the fourth, putting together a 4-0 run and taking a 12-6 advantage. A 4-1 run for the Miners cut the deficit in half at 14-11, but they were unable to close the gap as the Lakers held on to take the set 25-19.
The Lakers carried their momentum from set four into the final frame, taking nine of the first thirteen points to move ahead 9-4. A kill from Seaver and a solo block from Rohlwing helped the Miners cut Roosevelt's lead, making it 12-10. S&T was able to fend off two match points later, but a kill by RU's Mark Zmojdzin won the match at 15-13 in favor of the Lakers.
The Miners hit .322 in the match, out-hitting the Lakers who hit .210. The team's 12 blocks are their second-most in match this year, with Johnwick's 6 tying his personal best for block assists in a match. Sallade and Seaver also tied career-highs in blocks, recording five and two, respectively.
What's Next
The Miners will host preseason favorite Rockhurst University next weekend, playing the Hawks 6pm on Thursday (3/12) and 4pm on Friday (3/13).
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