Griffins Close Out Its Trip Setting A New Program Record In Wins

LANGHORNE, Pa.— With its two victories today over Cairn and Lehman, the Fontbonne University men's volleyball team has set a new program record in wins (19). The Griffins defeated the Highlanders in straight sets (25-11, 25-21, 25-15) and swept (25-14, 25-12, 25-21) past the Lightning to close out the day.

Fontbonne 3 Cairn 0

Against the Highlanders (10-16), Fontbonne finished with 37 kills, a .265 hitting percentage and a season-high 52 digs in a three set match.

Brendon Schwartze stood out on both sides of the net with a team-high nine kills and contributed seven digs. Kyler van Rossum-O'Connell handed out 29 assists, while Zach Rothstein contributed a match-high 16 digs.

Cairn, meanwhile, struggled on the offensive side of the net with its 24 kills and 20 errors for a .039 hitting percentage. Micah Godshall was the lone bright spot with 12 kills and 11 digs. Ryan Ludvick also had a double-double with 19 assists and 12 digs.

In the first set, the Griffins jumped out to a commanding 12-4 lead on a Highlanders attack error. They dominated the rest of the way and went on for the 25-11 win on Braden Woolsey's kill.

In the second, it was Fontbonne maintaining a 14-8 advantage on Stephen Lendy's kill. Later, Schwartze hammered down the kill to make it 20-13. Cairn battled back, though and cut the deficit down to 24-21. That'd be as close as they'd get with Mark Klusman finishing the set off with another kill.

After back-and-forth play in the third, the Griffins maintained a 16-13 lead. Then, they closed out the set on a 9-2 run, winning the match, 25-15.

Fontbonne 3 Lehman 0

It was another impressive offensive display by the Griffins in game two. The team compiled 45 kills and a .344 hitting percentage in the victory.

Schwartze led once more with nine kills and a .353 hitting percentage. James Sauermann also performed well with seven kills and a .500 hitting percentage.

Kyler van Rossum-O'Connell recorded another double-double with a season-high 35 assists in a three set match and 11 digs. Zach Rothstein added a match-high 14 digs.

Like Cairn, the Lightning had its struggles offensively against the Griffins. They only managed 24 kills and a .061 hitting percentage. Yaw Eshun paced the Lightning with eight kills. Setter George Montilla had a team-high 20 assists, while Juan Carlos earned 12 digs.

It was an impressive first set by the Griffins as they totaled 18 kills and just three errors for a .455 hitting percentage. Stephen Lendy's kill gave them the early lead at 12-6. Eshun's kill narrowed the lead down to 17-12, however, the Griffins finished off the set on an 8-2 run for the 25-14 win.

In the second, the Griffins took a commanding 15-4 lead. They never looked back from there and took a two sets to none lead with the 25-12 victory.

In the third, it was Lehman this time around taking an 11-9 lead on Mentor Mahmuti's kill. The teams met-up at 15-all, then the Griffins regained the advantage on a Lightning service error.

From there, the team never relinquished the lead and fended off Lehman for the 25-21 set and match win.

The team returns to action next Friday at home against Loras. 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.