Kyler van Rossum-O'Connell Hits 3,000 Career Assists, Lively Breaks Single-Game Record In Kills Against Mount Union

ST. LOUIS, Mo.—The Fontbonne University men's volleyball team jumped back into conference play on Saturday and picked up two key wins over the Mount Union Purple Raiders. Kyler van Rossum-O'Connell surpassed the 3,000-career assist mark in game two to become the first player in program history to reach that mark and the 30^th player in NCAA Division III Men's Volleyball history. Ryan Lively also set the single-game record in game two with 23 kills.

Game 1

Final: Fontbonne 3, Mount Union 0

(27-25, 25-20, 25-19)

Set Breakdown

Set 1: It was a battle from the start between the two teams but as the set wore on the Griffins led 18-14 on Ryan Lively's kill which forced the Purple Raiders to take a timeout.

Later, a kill from Cameron Graves gave Fontbonne a 23-19 advantage and Mount Union took another timeout. Out of the break, the Purple Raiders rattled off a 5-0 run to lead 24-23 on a Cameron Ternent service ace and the Griffins took a timeout to halt the rally.

The two teams went point-for-point but kills from Kyler van Rossum-O'Connell and Lively gave Fontbonne the hard fought 27-25 win.

The offense continues its dominant play for Fontbonne with 15 kills and a .257 hitting percentage. Mount Union totaled 12 kills but had eight errors on 37 attempts for a .108 hitting percentage.

Set 2: The Griffins started with the lead and midway through the set led 12-8 on a solo block from Jacob Hartmann. The team held its marginal lead as the set went on with Lively's service ace giving them a 22-18 lead.

This time around Fontbonne never relinquished its late advantage and put away the Purple Raiders on Lively's kill for the 25-20 win.

Set 3: After a kill from Justin Sibbel put the Purple Raiders down 5-4, the Griffins went on a 5-0 run capped off by Lively's kill for the 10-4 lead. They expanded it out to 20-13 and never looked back finishing off Mount Union for the 25-19 set and match win.

The Griffins saved its best set for last with 15 kills and just one error on 29 attempts for a game-high .483 hitting percentage.

Head-to-Head

• The Griffins set new season-highs in a three-set match in kills (44), assists (44), and digs (38)
• The Purple Raiders were limited to 36 kills and a .162 hitting percentage.

Fontbonne Leaders

• Lively was unstoppable in the morning with a season-high 21 kills on 37 attempts for a match-high .405 hitting percentage.
• Cameron Graves posted a season-high 10 kills.
• Kyler van Rossum-O'Connell totaled a three-set season-high with 40 assists.
• Zach Rothstein tied his season-high with 14 digs.

Game Two

Final: Fontbonne 3, Mount Union 1

(25-20, 23-25, 25-20, 26-24)

Set Breakdown

Set 1: The Griffins held an early lead throughout the first with a solo block from Braden Woolsey giving them a 15-13 lead.

Mount Union tried to get back in it late with a kill from Cameron Ternent narrowing the lead down to 22-21. However, the Griffins closed the set out on a 3-0 run for the 25-21 win.

Set 2: After trailing 14-13 in the second, the Griffins went on a 3-0 run as Woolsey's kill gave them the 16-14 advantage. The Purple Raiders answered going on a 10-5 run with a block assist from Luke Trzeciak and Sam Matonis giving Mount Union a 24-21 lead.

Fontbonne trimmed it down to 24-23 but the Purple Raiders hung on for the 25-23 win on Trzeciak's kill.

Set 3: The Griffins came out on fire in the third grabbing a 12-6 lead. The team dominated the rest of the way as the Purple Raiders made a late run but Fontbonne went on for the 25-20 win. The Griffins totaled 12 kills in the set but had a game-high .556 hitting percentage.

Set 4: It was once again point-for-point action in the fourth but a kill from Cameron Graves and another solo block from Woolsey had the Griffins ahead, 15-13.

Later, the Griffins led 23-21 but a 3-0 run from Mount Union gave them the 24-23 advantage. Fontbonne, though gathered themselves and closed out the set on a 3-0 run of its own for the 26-24 set and match win.

Head-to-Head

• The Griffins hit new season-highs as a team in kills (54), assists (50), digs (41), and solo blocks (seven).
• The Purple Raiders finished with 50 kills and a .223 hitting percentage.
• Mount Union struggled from the service line with 18 errors.

Fontbonne Leaders

• Ryan Lively broke out with a season-high and single-game record 23 kills and .421 hitting percentage.
• Braden Woolsey had a strong game with eight kills and a game-high five solo blocks.
• Kyler van Rossum-O'Connell handed out a season-high 44 assists. He's now at 3,011 assists in his career which places him 29th all-time.
• Zach Rothstein led them defensively with 10 digs.

Hear From Head Coach Jimmy Stika

"Very proud of our guys for their performance today. Mount Union's a great team, and we were able to stay resilient through everything they threw at us. It's only fitting that some records were broken during such a great match. Big congrats to Kyler on reaching 3,000 career assists and Ryan (Lively) for breaking the single-game kills record."

He added, "Looking forward to seeing what these guys can accomplish the rest of the year."

Up Next

The Griffins are back at home on Tuesday when they'll host Augustana at 2 p.m.

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

Make sure to follow us on all our social media accounts: Twitter (@FBUGriffins), Instagram (@fbugriffins) and Facebook (/FontbonneUGriffins).