CHESTERFIELD, Mo. -- The Miners defeated the Rockhurst Hawks in a thrilling five-setter on Saturday evening, clinching their place in the championship match against Maryville.
Two kills by
Nate Meyer (Arlington Heights, Ill./Hersey) along with an ace by
Grant Edmonds (Huntington Beach, CA/Edison) built a 6-3 lead for the Miners to start set one, with
Aaron Sallade (Palatine, Ill./William Fremd) and
Tyler Johnwick (Lombard, IL/Glenbard East) combining on a block a few points later to stretch the advantage to 9-5. Rockhurst cut the deficit to two at 11-9, but a 4-1 run by S&T put the Miners ahead 16-11. The Miners led by as many as seven late in the set, eventually shutting down a comeback attempt by the Hawks to take the frame 25-21.
The Hawks grabbed an early lead in set two, but a couple of kills by Sallade helped the Miners keep close at 13-11. Rockhurst went on a 5-0 run though, moving ahead 17-11. The Miners steadily worked their way back into the set, with a double block by Johnwick and Edmonds bringing the Miners within three at 22-19. However, Rockhurst secured the set four points later at 25-20.
The Miners pulled ahead by three points early in set three, getting a trio of kills from Sallade early in the frame. Rockhurst cut the deficit to one at 12-11, but back-to-back S&T blocks pushed the advantage back to three again. Kills from Sallade and
Camden Seaver (Palatine, IL/William Fremd) later in the set increased the Miners lead to four, allowing them to put the set away on another kill from Sallade.
Rockhurst opened the fourth frame with a 4-1 run, but Sallade continued his dominant performance with a pair of kills to help the Miners cut the deficit to one. A 3-0 run by the Hawks gave them a 13-8 lead, with Lucas Tran adding a kill later to increase the lead to 19-13 and give the Hawks breathing room to take set four 25-17.
An early 4-1 run by Rockhurst put the Hawks up 5-2, but the Miners tied the set at 7-7 after three points in a row, highlighted by an Edmonds solo block. S&T and Rockhurst traded points, with the Miners playing from behind in the exchange until a pair of errors by the Hawks put S&T in front 12-11. The Hawks tied the set at 13-13, but a solo block by Sallade and a kill from Seaver clinched the Miners' spot in the championship match.
Sallade led the Miners in kills and points, recording 18 and 21.5. The senior from Palatine, Illinois hit .273, adding three solo blocks and a block assist. Meyer recorded a double-double, picking up 12 kills and 12 digs, leading the team in the latter. Edmonds led the team in assists with 43, while
Bartosz Chmielewski (Aurora, IL/Metea Valley) recorded a season-high of four.
What's Next
The Miners face Maryville at 12:30 p.m. tomorrow for the inaugural Great Lakes Valley Conference Championship.
Sign up for our email blast at https://minerathletics.com/subscribe.aspx
Follow Miners Volleyball on X and Instagram at miners_mvb
