Griffins Split Its Two Games In Chicago On Saturday

CHICAGO, Ill.—The Fontbonne University men's volleyball team split its two games today in Chicago. The Griffins fell in four sets (19-25, 19-25, 25-23, 22-25) against Illinois Tech, but bounced back with a straight set sweep (25-10, 25-20, 25-16) over Maranatha Baptist.

Illinois Tech 3 Fontbonne 1

The Griffins (5-2), compiled 42 kills but had 31 errors for a season-low .084 hitting percentage against Illinois Tech. The team also struggled at the service line, committing 13 errors.

Individually, TJ Vorva and Stephen Lendy tied with seven kills each. Emir Hadzisalihovic and Mark Klusman added six a piece. Setter Kyler van Rossum-O'Connell handed out a team-high 25 assists, while Zach Rothstein finished with a season-high 20 digs.

The Scarlet Hawks (4-7), ended the outing with 49 kills, a .213 hitting percentage and 18 block assists. Cinjun Coe led the way with his match-high 16 kills and .231 hitting percentage. Setter Daniel Throop added a match-high 43 assists, while Derek Bostick led them defensively with 13 digs.

In the first set, the Griffins opened with a 10-7 lead on Tony Pitaro's kill. However, a 4-0 run from the Scarlet Hawks put them out in front at 12-10. Later, after trailing 20-17, the Griffins got consecutive kills from Stephen Lendy and Vorva to make it 20-19.

IIT responded, though closing out the set on a 5-2 run, capped off by Evan Robeck's kill to take the opener, 25-21.

In the second set, it was back-and-forth play once again and they met-up at 10-10 on Vorva's kill. From there, the Scarlet Hawks went on a 6-0 run to gain some breathing room at 16-10. The team never relinquished the lead and went on for the 25-19 victory.

After taking an 8-6 lead, the Scarlet Hawks went on a 5-0 run which put them ahead 13-6 and that forced the Griffins coaching staff to take a timeout.

Later, a block assist from Easton Kays and Lukasz Kupiec gave IIT a 20-13 lead. Then, the Griffins went on a 6-0 run as Hadzisalihovic's solo block made it a 20-19 game. The team went on to tie it at 23-23 on Stephen Lendy's service ace and they finished off the set on a Scarlet Hawks attack error, winning 25-23.

In the fourth, it was a slow start for Fontbonne with IIT taking a 10-3 lead. The Scarlet Hawks still led 15-10, but the Griffins answered with a 6-0 run to take a one-point advantage.

Klusman's kill put Fontbonne ahead 17-16, however, a 5-0 run by IIT gave them a 21-17 advantage on a Griffins attack error. The Scarlet Hawks fended off the Griffins the rest of the way, winning the set and the match, 25-22.

Fontbonne 3 Maranatha Baptist 0

In the nightcap, the Griffins swept Maranatha Baptist for the second time this season. The team totaled 40 kills, a .295 hitting percentage and a season-high 11 service aces.

Stephen Lendy led Fontbonne with his match-high eight kills and .615 hitting percentage. Kolin Scharnhorst earned a career-high seven kills, while Klusman added five of his own. Jacob Lendy led them at the setter position with 17 assists. Defensively, 12 Griffins had at least one dig and Klusman led with five.

The Sabercats (2-8), were limited to 20 kills for a .064 hitting percentage. Derek Wallis paced MBU with his six kills and five digs. Matt Wetzel contributed nine assists, while Taylor Dafoe had a team-high eight digs.

It was a dominant first set for the Griffins. The team jumped out to a 15-3 lead on a Saberats attack error. It was smooth sailing from there as they went on for the 25-10 win. Fontbonne finished with 11 kills and a match-high .360 hitting percentage in the first.

In the second, it was Maranatha Baptist taking an 11-7 lead on Andrew Carpenter's solo block. However, consecutive kills from James Sauermann and Scharnhorst put Fontbonne ahead 15-14.They stretched it out to 19-16 and held on for the 25-20 win.  

In the third set, the Griffins took a 12-10 lead on Pitaro's kill. They expanded it out to 17-12 and the Sabercats coaching staff took a timeout in hopes of slowing down the Griffins.

MBU narrowed the deficit down to 19-16 after the break, but Fontbonne finished the match off on a 6-0 run, capped off by Scharnhorst's service ace to win, 25-16.

The Griffins return to the court next Friday in its home opener against Adrian. First-serve goes up at 7 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.