TIGERS CAME BACK FROM TWO SETS DOWN AND EARN THEIR THIRD STRAIGHT VICTORY

BOURBONAIS, Ill. – The Olivet Nazarene University men's volleyball team came back from two sets down and took down the Viterbo University V-Hawks in five sets on Saturday afternoon inside McHie Arena.  The Tigers won their second straight home match and third in a row overall. 

The V-Hawks got off to a hot start as they scored six of the first 10 points of the first set.  Garret Schad and Collier Kahaku Marquez each recorded a kill in the early going.  After Viterbo was leading 7-5, the Tigers, led by a pair of service aces by Max Slaughter, went a 7-1 run and made the score, 12-8. At the score, 14-9, Tigers, Viterbo went on a 10-2 run and led 17-15.  With their backs against the wall, at 21-17 the Tigers did not stop fighting as Slaughter sent over a pair of aces and Jackson Harvey marked a kill and knotted up the set at 21 all. 

Slaughter, Sterling Staranchuk, and Jaiton Kamaunu each tallied a kill in the later moments of the set but Viterbo edged the Tigers, 27-25 in the first set. 

The two teams traded the first 10 points in the second set.  Staranchuk, Slaughter, and Kahaku Marquez each connected on a kill.  Then, the V-Hawks went on a 6-0 run until Kahaku Marquez stalled the run with a kill.  The Tigers trailed 11-5.  The Tigers then started to close the gap as they eventually tied the match at 14 all.  A pair of kills from Staranchuk highlighted that run for ONU.  Viterbo then had ONU on its heels up 21-17, until Hunter DeMello and Kyle Szymanski combined for three aces as the Tigers to a 22-21 lead. 

Viterbo then scored seven of the final 11 points in the set and won the second set, 27-25. 

The Tigers got off to a red-hot start in the third set as they marked the first seven points.  Slaughter tallied a pair of kills while Staranchuk and Kamaunu also recorded kills for the Tigers.  The Tigers continued to pull away from the V-Hawks in the third set leading by as much as eight points at 18-10.  Viterbo made a late run and cut the Tiger lead to 23-20. 

A kill by Slaughter and blocks from Schad, Slaughter, and Staranchuk sealed a 25-20 third set win for the Tigers.

In the fourth set, The V-Hawks started the set with a 5-4 lead until the Tigers took over.  A kill and an ace by Slaughter sparked an 8-2 run, which gave ONU a 12-7 lead.  At the score, 17-12, Tigers, the V-Hawks then went on a 5-1 run and closed the gap to 18-17. 

The Tigers saw kills from Slaughter and Staranchuk, aces from DeMello and James Ballance, and blocks from Schad and Staranchuk, down the stretch, as Olivet Nazarene forced a fifth-set as they defeated Viterbo in the fourth set, 25-21. 

The two teams came out in the beginning of the fifth set and traded the first 14 points.  With Viterbo up 12-11, three straight kills from Slaughter opened up a 14-12 lead for the Tigers. 

The Tigers held on to the lead as they took the fifth set, 15-13, and won the match, 3-2. 

GAME VITALS

Finals: First Set: VU 27, ONU 25 | Second Set: VU 28, ONU 26 | Third Set: ONU 25, VU 20 | Fourth Set: ONU 25, VU 21 | Fifth Set: ONU 15, VU 13

Records: Olivet Nazarene: 7-21 (5-6 CCAC) | Viterbo: 10-7 (4-5) CCAC)

Location: McHie Arena | Olivet Nazarene University | Bourbonnais, Ill.

QUICK HITS

• The Tigers set a new school record with 158 total attacks, 54 total assists, and tied a school record with 13 service aces, and 13 blocks. 
• Slaughter tied his career-high with 19 kills, set a new career high with 48 attacks, and seven service aces. 
• DeMello led the Tigers with a career-high 31 assists. 
• Staranchuk tied a career-high with eight blocks. 
• The Tigers had 26 block assists in the match. 

WHAT'S NEXT?

The Tigers conclude their road portion of the schedule as they travel to Chicago to play against nationally-ranked Saint Xavier University on Tuesday, March 22nd.  The first service is scheduled for 7 p.m.  Please visit onutigers.com for more information. 

--ONU—

*Contact: Sam Viebrock, Sports Information Director, stviebrock@olivet.edu