Men's Volleyball Goes 1-1 Against Vikings And No. 5 Cardinals

NAPERVILLE, Ill.—The Fontbonne University men's volleyball team split its doubleheader today sweeping past North Park in its opener, but fell in four sets against No. 5 North Central to close out its day.

Match 1

Final: Fontbonne def. North Park 3-0 (25-19, 25-21, 25-20)

Location: Naperville, Ill.

Records: Fontbonne 13-5, North Park 9-9

Set Notes

Set 1: The Griffins opened with a 10-5 led on Nate Paasch's service ace. The Vikings narrowed the deficit to 12-10, but Fontbonne stretched it back out to 17-12 on Braden Woolsey's service ace.

After a timeout, the Griffins maintained control going on for the 25-19 win on consecutive kills from Cameron Graves and Ryan Lively. Fontbonne had 13 kills and a .360 hitting percentage in the first.

Set 2: Fontbonne once again put the Vikings in an early disadvantage taking a 10-4 lead on Kyler van Rossum-O'Connell's kill. The Vikings battled back and eventually tied it at 18-18 on a Griffins attack error.

The Griffins regained the 19-18 lead on a service error and never relinquished it the rest of the way hanging on for the 25-21 victory.

Fontbonne had a match-high 18 kills and .438 hitting percentage in the second set. Joseph Huster had five kills on five swings for a 1.000 hitting percentage. Graves had four kills on four swings.

Set 3: The Vikings this time around grabbed an 11-9 lead, but Fontbonne eventually took a 17-15 lead on a double block from Huster and Graves, along with a service ace from Paasch. It was all Fontbonne the rest of the way as they went on for the 25-20 match win.

Team Comparison

• Fontbonne finished with 43 kills and a .361 hitting percentage.
• North Park ended with 33 kills and a .221 hitting percentage.
• The Griffins held a 32-23 advantage in digs.

Top Griffins

• Ryan Lively led with 12 kills and a .360 hitting percentage.
• Joseph Huster and Cameron Graves tied with eight kills each.
• Graves had a .538 hitting percentage, while Huster ended at .455.
• Nate Paasch had six kills.
• Braden Woolsey had five kills and five block assists.
• Kyler van Rossum-O'Connell totaled 32 assists, nine digs, and four kills.

Match 2

Final: No. 5 North Central 3, Fontbonne 1 (26-24, 19-25, 25-19, 25-18)

Location: Naperville, Ill.

Records: No. 5 North Central 14-1, Fontbonne 12-6

Set Notes

Set 1: The Cardinals took a 10-5 lead in the first set on a Fontbonne attack error. The Griffins started to chip away at the deficit and eventually took a 19-18 lead.

After a timeout, the two teams went point-for-point but a kill and solo block from Jeremy Cardenas secured the 26-24 win. Fontbonne had 10 kills in the first set led by Cameron Graves with four.

Set 2: It was back-and-forth action once more in the second with Fontbonne maintaining an 18-15 lead on a kill from Nate Paasch. The Griffins held its lead throughout going on for the impressive 25-19 win.

The Griffins had a standout second set having 15 kills on 23 swings for a .565 hitting percentage. Ryan Lively dominated with seven kills and just one error for a .600 hitting percentage.

Set 3: Fontbonne held an early 10-7 lead in the third on Lively's kill. The Cardinals went on to take a 15-13 lead on a double block from Cardenas and Matt Nealon. From there, North Central was able to go on for the 25-19 victory.

Set 4: The two teams were all tied 10-10 on a Cardinals attack error. North Central went on a 5-2 run to gain some breathing room and closed out the set on a 10-6 run for the 25-18 match win.

Team Comparison

• Fontbonne finished with 44 kills and a .218 hitting percentage.
• North Central totaled 57 kills and a .336 hitting percentage.
• The Cardinals totaled 20 block assists, while Fontbonne had 10.

Top Griffins

• Ryan Lively led with 17 kills and a .242 hitting percentage.
• Nate Paasch and Cameron Graves tied with nine kills each.
• Kyler van Rossum-O'Connell added 37 assists.

Up Next

The Griffins are back at home on Wednesday when they'll host Millikin. First-service at 7 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).