Griffins Open Season 0-3

St. Louis- Fontbonne University men's volleyball opened their season on the road in Cinncinnati, Ohio for a Continental Volleyball Conference Crossover event. The Griffins took on Eastern Mennonite (EMU) and Thiel College Saturday, followed by Marymount University on Sunday.

vs. EMU: L 23-25, 17-25 and 29-31

The Griffins put up a hard fought fight in their first matchup of the season against the Eastern Mennonite Royals. Fontbonne was leading 22-17 before the Royals put down an 8-1 run to win the set. The Royals controlled the entire second set, with Fontbonne tieing twice, but never gaining control. A back and forth close and exhausting third set ended in favor of EMU. Fontbonne held a 24-23 advantage when an EMU timeout allowed the Royals to score two straight. Down 24-25, the two teams would exchange points until EMU's final three points ended the set.  

Sophomore Peter Hibbeler led the Griffins in kill percentage (.500) while junior Aaron Graue totaled 15 kills.

vs. Thiel: L 10-25, 21-25 and 17-25

Coming out flat-footed, Thiel overtook the Griffins quickly during the first set claiming the decisive 25-10 victory. During the second set, Thiel was able to keep a three to four point lead for most of the second se. Leading 6-4 in the third set, Thiel scored six straight for a 12-4 advantage and never looked back.

Hibbeler led the Griffins in kills and kill percentage while Jimmy Stika dug out 11 attack attempts.

vs. Marymount: L 20-25, 19-25, 21-25

Trying to forget about their two losses the previous day, Fontbonne fought hard early, tieing the game at nine apiece, but could never gain the lead. The Marymount Saints led for the entirety of the second set as well before the Griffins refused to give up in the third. Fontbonne led the entire third set until Marymount tied the game at 18. Marymout led until Fontbonne retied the score, this time at 20. The Saints then scored three straight to lead 23-20 before ending the game 25-21.

Leading this match for Fontbonne was Graue with 17 kills.

On the weekend, sohpmore Justin Winklemann totaled 73 assists and Stika accumulated 24 digs. The Griffins attacking percentage was only .103, playing a big part in the three-game loss. Graue finished the weekend with a team-high 38 kills followed by Hibbeler with 24.

The Griffins travel to New York this week for seven matches.