Griffins Suffer First Home Loss Against No. 1 Carthage

ST. LOUIS, Mo.— After picking up a huge win over No. 8 North Central on Friday night, the Fontbonne University men's volleyball team took on another tough foe in No. 1 Carthage. The match-up didn't disappoint, the Griffins unfortunately fell in straight sets (23-25, 23-25, 23-25). 

Score: Carthage 3, Fontbonne 0

Location: DSAC

Records: Carthage 17-1 (4-0 MCVL), Fontbonne 17-2 (2-2 MCVL)

How It Happened

In the first set, the Griffins jumped out to a 13-9 lead on a kill from Brendon Schwartze. The team continued to hold onto its advantage up until the Red Men evened up the scoreboard at 21-21 on Matt Slivinski's kill.

From there, the two teams went point-for-point as the Griffins tied it at 23-23 on Mark Klusman's kill. However, the Red Men got kills from Evan Walsh and Slivinski to take the opener, 25-23.

In the second, after trailing 9-8, the Red Men rattled off a 5-0 run to own a 13-9 lead on Walsh's kill. Fontbonne trimmed the deficit down to 21-19 on Schwartze's kill and eventually were down 24-23 on an attack error, but the Red Men got another kill from Slivinski for the 25-23 victory.

In the third, a service ace from Slivinski gave Carthage a 14-8 lead. The Griffins kept battling and eventually made it a 23-22 contest on a Red Men attack error. However, Carthage was able to finish the set and the match off on Slivinski's kill for the 25-23 set and match win.

Inside The Numbers

• The Griffins finished the day with 36 kills, a .192 hitting percentage, and 34 digs.
• Carthage rounded out with 47 kills, a .248 hitting percentage, 34 digs, and eight block assists.
• Both teams had at least 10 kills in each set.

Fontbonne Leaders

• Schwartze stepped up for the Griffins today as he tied his season-high with 11 kills and a .375 hitting percentage.
• Klusman ended with nine kills and eight digs, while Braden Woolsey had five.
• Kyler van Rossum-O'Connell handed out 34 assists, while Zach Rothstein posted nine digs.

Carthage Leaders

• Walsh (15) and Slivinski (14) combined for 29 of the teams 47 kills. Slivinski hit .321 on the afternoon, while Walsh ended at .290.
• Matt Reinsel finished with a match-high 31 assists and Kyle Cohan led the group defensively with a match-high 10 digs.

Up Next

• The Griffins are back in action on Tuesday afternoon when they'll look for the season sweep on the road against Greenville. First-service 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.

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