Griffins win exhibition match

St. Louis- Tonight's contest turned into an exhibition game, which the Griffins controlled after a rough start. Fontbonne won against the Spartans 25-23, 25-17 and 25-14.

After a very tough 1st game, Fontbonne was able to capitalize on Spartan mistakes. Setter Diego Laguna's four ball handling errors and three attacking errors helped the Griffins build a lead in the last two games.

In addition to Spartan mistakes, the Griffins made it a point to serve away from libero Timmy Duong and force the taller Spartan squad to play defense. Senior Braxton Payne recorded the only two service aces for the Griffins.

Fontbonne's Aaron Graue connected on 10 kills while Cody Schmelzle converted 4 of 6 attack attempts. Leading Fontbonne's attack was Justin Winkelmann with 23 assists.

Fontbonne's defensive row received a break tonight as the front line brought in 13 total blocks, of which 10 were solo blocks. Graue, Winkelmann, and Schmelzle each recorded 3 solos and Winkelmann contributed to 3 others as well.

Fontbonne stays at home this Saturday as they match up against Continental Volleyball Conference rival Carthage College at 7pm.