Men's Volleyball Opens Fontbonne Invite With Four-Set Win Over Augustana

ST. LOUIS, Mo.—The Fontbonne University men's volleyball team opened the Fontbonne Invitational on Friday night with a four-set win its in home opener over Augustana.

Final: Fontbonne 3, Augustana 1 (25-17, 25-18, 23-25, 25-11)

Location: St. Louis, Mo.

Records: Fontbonne 7-1, Augustana 3-5

Set Notes

Set 1: After Augustana took a 7-2 lead, the Griffins went a 14-4 run with a Vikings attack error giving Fontbonne the 16-11 lead. After a timeout, the Griffins remained in control going on for the dominating 25-17 opening win.

Fontbonne posted 15 kills and a .265 hitting percentage in the first. Braden Woolsey and Ryan Lively led with five kills each. Joseph Huster was big at the net with three block assists.

Set 2: It was the Griffins this time around taking a 7-3 lead in the first and expanding it out to 17-11 on a solo block from Huster. The Griffins were able to finish off the Vikings for the 25-18 win.

It was another strong offensive performance from the Griffins having 13 kills and just three errors for a .476 hitting percentage. Nate Paasch led with four kills on six swings.

Set 3: The script-flipped once more in the third with Augustana taking a 14-8 lead on Fontbonne attack error. The Griffins kept battling and eventually tied it, 21-21, on a Vikings attack error.

However, the Vikings closed out the set on a 4-2 run with Aidan Bolen's kill keeping Augustana alive for the 25-23 win.

Augustana had its best set with 11 kills, while the Griffins were held to nine kills and eight errors for a .040 hitting percentage.

Set 4: Fontbonne sent a message in the fourth right out of the gate taking a 11-4 lead after consecutive service aces from Lively and a kill from Cameron Graves. It was smooth sailing the rest of the way in the impressive 25-11 set and match win.

The Griffins had 12 kills and just one error on 23 swings for a match-high .478 hitting percentage in the fourth. Lively led with four kills. Defensively, the Griffins came away with nine digs, six block assists, and held the Vikings to a negative -.182 hitting percentage.

Team Comparison

• The Griffins ended with 49 kills and a .301 hitting percentage.
• They tied its season-high with eight service aces.
• At the net, the Griffins set a new season-high with 14 block assists.
• Augustana ended with 29 kills and a .020 hitting percentage.

Top Griffins

• Ryan Lively posted his second straight 14-kill performance, to go along with a .444 hitting percentage and season-high marks in service aces (three) and digs (nine).
• Nate Paasch had his second double-double with 10 kills and 12 digs.
• Braden Woolsey finished with 10 kills, a .533 hitting percentage, and three blocks.
• Joseph Huster ended with seven kills, a .455 hitting percentage, and tied his season-high with five blocks.
• Kyler van Rossum-O'Connell ended with 42 assists and tied his season-high with eight digs.

Up Next

The Griffins look for redemption tomorrow afternoon when they'll host Loras. First-service at 1 p.m.

About Fontbonne University

Fontbonne University is a private, Catholic liberal arts university located in St. Louis, committed to a transformative education and inspiring students to become global citizens who think critically, act ethically and serve responsibly. The university, founded in 1923, is sponsored by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet. For more information, visit www.fontbonne.edu

Make sure to follow the men's volleyball team on all its social media accounts: Twitter(@FBUGriffinsMVB), Instagram (@fontbonnemvb) and Facebook (/FontbonneUGriffins).