(RV) Men's Volleyball Wins First-Ever MCVL Regular Season Title

ADRIAN, Mich.—History was made on Saturday in Michigan with the (RV) Fontbonne University men's volleyball team winning its first ever MCVL Regular Season Title.

Gm1 Final:

Fontbonne 3, Adrian 1

(18-25, 25-22, 25-17, 25-20)

Set Breakdown

Set 1: The two teams were tied 11-11 after Ryan Lively's kill. The Bulldogs answered going on a 7-0 run and despite Fontbonne trimming the lead down to 21-17, the Bulldogs closed out the set on a 4-0 run for the 25-18 win.

Set 2: In the second set, the Griffins took an 11-7 lead on Cameron Graves' kill. Adrian kept battling and tied it up 18-18 on a block assist from Shane Wenz and Chase Heuer.

The Griffins answered with kills from Braden Woolsey and Lively to lead by two and the team never looked back hanging on for the 25-22 win on Graves' kill.

Set 3: After Adrian took a 12-11 lead, the Griffins rattled off a 5-0 run to own the 16-12 advantage. It was all Fontbonne the rest of the way for the 25-17 victory.

Set 4: A kill from Nate Paasch and two from Graves had Fontbonne ahead 12-8. Later, the team took a 20-15 lead on a block assist from Paasch and Joseph Huster. The Griffins were able to go on for the 25-20 set and match win.

Head-to-Head

• Fontbonne finished with 55 kills and a .322 hitting percentage.
• Defensively, they totaled 37 digs and eight block assists.
• Adrian rounded out the morning with 43 kills and a .189 hitting percentage.

Fontbonne Leaders

• Lively led with a game-high 20 kills and .351 hitting percentage. He's the fifth game this year totaling at least 20 kills.
• Graves added 12 kills and a .259 hitting percentage.
• Paasch added nine kills, a team-high nine digs, and two block assists.
• Woolsey filled up his stat line with seven kills, two solo blocks, and three block assists.
• Kyler van Rossum-O'Connell dished out a game-high 49 assists.
• Zach Rothstein added eight digs.

Gm2 Final

Fontbonne 3, Adrian 0

(25-22, 25-21, 25-23)

Set Breakdown

Set 1: The Griffins held the lead early but the Bulldogs were able to tie it 17-17 on a block assist from Gavin Yonker and Andrew Gawrisch.

Fontbonne went on a 3-0 run and were able to put away Adrian for the 25-22 win on Kyler van Rossum-O'Connell's kill.

Set 2: The teams went point-for-point throughout but an attack error and a block assist from Paasch and Woolsey gave Fontbonne the 17-15 advantage.

The Bulldogs tried to mount a comeback trailing 22-21 but the Griffins finished the set off on a 3-0 run with two kills from Lively and a solo block from Woolsey for the 25-21 win.

Set 3: In the third, the Bulldogs led 21-17 on Tedrick Gula's solo block. The Griffins got back in the game tying it up at 22-22. The two teams were even once more, 23-23, but the Griffins ended the set and the match on back-to-back kills from Lively for the MCVL Regular Season Title.

Head-to-Head

• Fontbonne ended with 37 kills and a .184 hitting percentage.
• They added 43 digs, three solo blocks, and 12 block assists which is a season-high in a three-set match.
• Adrian had its struggles with 31 kills and a .106 hitting percentage.

Fontbonne Leaders

• Lively led with a game-high 15 kills.
• Paasch added six and two block assists.
• Huster finished with five kills and a season-high four block assists.
• Woolsey totaled four kills, three block assists, and two solo blocks.
• Kyler van Rossum-O'Connell totaled 32 assists and three block assists.
• Zach Rothstein ended with a game-high 16 digs. He needs just 29 more to become NCAA Division III All-Time Digs Leader.

Up Next

The Griffins will now host the MCVL Tournament next Friday and Saturday with participating teams being Mount Union, Mount St. Joseph, and Trine. Game times will soon be announced. 

Fans make sure to stay updated on fontbonnegriffins.com throughout the year for full updates and recaps on the men's volleyball team.

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