Men's Volleyball stuns Lakeland in season finale

Plymouth, Wis. - In their final game of the season, Fontbonne University men's volleyball came from behind to defeat Lakeland College 3-2 in thrilling fashion. The win was the first for the Griffins over the Muskies in their four-year rivalry. Fontbonne ended their season 15-11 overall and 9-10 in conference play. The two squads finished tied for third in the Midwest Collegiate Volleyball League's West Division.

Lakeland led 2-0 after defeating Fontbonne 25-18 and 25-17. The Griffins trailed 20-16 in the third set before scoring five straight points to take a 21-20 lead. The Griffins led 24-23 after a solo block by Emir Hadzisalihovic but a Lakeland kill tied the game. Stephen Lendy's kill gave the Griffins an edge and Brendon Schwarze's solo block kept the Griffins alive as they won 26-24.

In the fourth set, Fontbonne led 12-7 but the home team went on an 8-3 run to tie the game at 15 points each. With the game tied at 18, the Griffins scored three straight to take a 21-18 advantage, a lead they would maintain until they won 25-21.

Fontbonne led 11-8 in the fifth set until Lakeland pulled the game within one point. The team's exchanged points until the game was tied 13-13. TJ Vorva's kill put match-point on the line and a Lakeland attack error sealed the win for the Griffins who hit .292 in the set. 

Fontbonne recorded 86 digs in the match, a possible record. Kyler van Rossum-O'Connell's 54 assists is second-most all-time for the Griffins. Also reaching new heights was libero Zach Rothstein's 29 digs. Hadzisalihovic hit .417 (12 kills) in the win with two solo blocks on his way to six blocks. Lendy tallied a team-high 15 kills while Schwartze recorded 13 kills. Vorva finished with 10 kills.

Be on the lookout for a season recap later this week.