No. 15 Griffins Earn Spot In Elite Eight After Its Win Over No. 9 MSOE

KENOSHA, Wis.—The No. 15-ranked Fontbonne University men's volleyball team continued its historic run of play in 2019 as they earned a spot in the Elite 8 of the NCAA Tournament tomorrow night after taking down No. 9-ranked MSOE in four sets.

Score: Fontbonne 3, MSOE 1 (20-25, 27-25, 25-20, 25-22)

Location: Kenosha, Wis.

Records: Fontbonne (26-2), MSOE (21-8)

How It Happened

In the first set, it was the Raiders opening with a 16-12 lead on a Fontbonne attack error. MSOE never relinquished its lead the rest of the way and took the opening set, 25-20.

In the second set, a 4-0 run by the Raiders had them out in front 16-11 on a kill from Ben Pung. Fontonne kept battling and eventually tied it up at 22-22 on a solo block from Braden Woolsey.

The two teams went point-for-point and met-up once more at 25-25. However, a kill from Emir Hadzisalihovic and a block assist from Hadzisalihovic and Brendon Schwartze secured the 27-25 win for Fontbonne.

In the third, the two teams were all square at 15-15 on a kill from Hadzisalihovic. The Griffins rattled off a 6-0 run to gain some breathing room at 21-15. MSOE narrowed it down to 24-20, but Woolsey finished off the set with a kill for the victory.

In the fourth, it was Fontbonne this time around grabbing a 14-8 lead on Hadzisalihovic's solo block. Later in the set, the team led 20-16, however, the Raiders crawled back into it with a 4-0 run to even it up at 20-20.

Fontbonne kept its composure and collected the next two points on a kill from Woolsey and a block assist by Schwartze and Hadzisalihovic. It was all Griffins the rest of the way with Hadzisalihovic's kill securing the 25-22 set and match win.

Inside The Numbers

• The Griffins totaled 42 kills and a .190 hitting percentage.
• Defensively, they came away with 50 digs, while setting new season-high marks in solo blocks (eight) and total blocks (15).
• The Raiders ended with 63 kills and a .212 hitting percentage.
• The team had its struggles from the service line with 20 errors.

Fontbonne Leaders

• Hadzisalihovic filled up the stat line tonight with a career-high 14 kills, a .571 hitting percentage, a season-high four solo blocks, six block assists, and 10 total blocks overall.
• Woolsey ended with eight kills and zero errors on 15 attempts for a .533 hitting percentage.
• Schwartze contributed seven kills.
• Grant Garza filled in for Mark Klusman and did an outstanding job with seven kills and a season-high .462 hitting percentage.
• Kyler van Rossum-O'Connell totaled his 10^th double-double on the year and third straight overall with 40 assists and 13 digs.

MSOE Leaders

• The Raiders were led by Ben Pung's match-high 22-kill performance, .304 hitting percentage, and 11 digs.
• Austyn Bella hammered down 12 kills, while Jake Christensen added 11.
• Setter Quinn Krisik was busy on both sides of the net with 52 assists, eight digs, and four block assists.

Up Next

• The Griffins look to punch its ticket to the Final Four tomorrow night when they'll take on UC Santa Cruz. First-service at 6.   

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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