Men's Volleyball Opens Conference Play With Sweep Of Tigers; Kyler van Rossum-O'Connell Reaches 4,000 Career Assists

ST. LOUIS, Mo.—The Fontbonne University men's volleyball team made quick work of the Wittenberg Tigers in its conference opener winning in straight sets. Kyler van Rossum-O'Connell continued his way up the record books becoming just the ninth player in Division III history to reach 4,000 career assists.

Final: Fontbonne 3, Wittenberg 0 (25-18, 25-8, 25-22)

Location: St. Louis, Mo.

Records: Fontbonne (9-2; 1-0 MCVL), Wittenberg (6-8; 1-1 MCVL)

Set Notes

Set 1: The Griffins opened with a 10-4 lead on Ryan Lively's kill. Fontbonne posted 11 kills on 20 swings for a .450 hitting percentage en route to the 25-18 win.

Braden Woolsey and Lively led with three kills each, while Joseph Huster and Cameron Graves contributed two kills apiece.

Set 2: It was all Fontbonne from start-to-finish in the second totaling 13 kills and just one error for a match-high .571 hitting percentage in the win.

Nate Paasch led with five kills on seven swings for a .714 hitting percentage. Huster had three kills, while Lively and Woolsey ended with two. Defensively, the Griffins held the Tigers to six kills and seven errors for negative -.037 hitting percentage.

Set 3: After the Tigers tied it 10-10, the Griffins got the 11-10 lead on Huster's kill. From there, the Griffins held onto its marginal the lead the rest of the way for the 25-22 set and match win.

Fontbonne had 12 kills and a .222 hitting percentage in the final set. Lively had four kills and a .333 hitting percentage. Woolsey and Huster tied with three kills, while Parker Maue finished with two kills and two block assists.

Team Comparison

• Fontbonne ended with 36 kills and tied its season low with nine errors for a .397 hitting percentage.
• Wittenberg struggled with 29 kills and a .045 hitting percentage.

Top Griffins

• Ryan Lively led with nine kills and a .368 hitting percentage. He added a career-high three solo blocks.
• Joseph Huster had eight kills on nine swings for a career-high .889 hitting percentage.
• Braden Woolsey totaled eight kills, a .778 hitting percentage, and four block assists.
• Nate Paasch finished with six kills and .500 hitting percentage.
• Kyler van Rossum-O'Connell ended with 34 assists. He became just the ninth player in Division III men's volleyball history to reach 4,000 career assists.
• He's currently sits in eighth place all-time and needs four more assists to move into seventh.

Up Next

The Griffins are back in action tomorrow afternoon when they'll host Mount St. Joseph. First-service at 12 p.m.

About Fontbonne University

Fontbonne University is a private, Catholic liberal arts university located in St. Louis, committed to a transformative education and inspiring students to become global citizens who think critically, act ethically and serve responsibly. The university, founded in 1923, is sponsored by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet. For more information, visit www.fontbonne.edu

Make sure to follow the men's volleyball team on all its social media accounts: Twitter(@FBUGriffinsMVB), Instagram (@fontbonnemvb) and Facebook (/FontbonneUGriffins).