Men's Volleyball Falls Against (RV) Cal Lutheran And UC Santa Cruz

SANTA CRUZ, Calif.—The Fontbonne University men's volleyball team closed out its trip to California falling to (RV) Cal Lutheran and UC Santa Cruz.

Match One

(RV) Cal Lutheran 3, Fontbonne 1 (17-25, 25-13, 25-17, 25-17)

Set Notes

Set 1: The Griffins opened with a 12-9 lead on Cameron Graves' kill and stretched it out to 17-12 after a double block by Logan Irby and Demitrius Allen.

Fontbonne remained in control the rest of the way going on for the 25-17 win capped off by Joseph Huster's kill.

The Griffins totaled 12 kills on 24 swings for a .417 hitting percentage. Lee Kreutzman, Huster, and Graves led with three kills each. At the net, the Griffins already had four blocks. 

Set 2: It was back-and-forth action up until the Kingsmen took a 9-8 led. From there, they outscored Fontbonne 16-5 for the 25-13 victory.

The Griffins had eight kills and eight errors in the second, while the Kingsmen fared better with nine kills and just one error for a .364 hitting percentage.

Set 3: In the third, the Kingsmen put Fontbonne in a 12-7 hole on a solo block from Connor Crawford. Cal Lutheran was able to go on for the 25-17 win.

The Kingsmen compiled 11 kills and a .259 hitting percentage in the third, while the Griffins were limited to seven kills and nine errors for a negative -.074 hitting percentage.

Set 4: The Kingsmen led 10-87 after a Fontbonne attack error and stretched it out to 19-12 forcing Fontbonne to take a timeout. Out of the break, the Kingsmen were able to win the set and the match, 25-17. 

Team Stats

• Fontbonne finished with 39 kills and a .142 hitting percentage.
• Cal Lutheran ended with 45 kills and a .300 hitting percentage. 

Top Griffins

Joseph Huster: Season-high 10 kills, .562 hitting percentage

Ryan Lively: 8 kills, 8 digs

Logan Irby: 7 kills, 3 block assists

Alex Gantt: Season-high 24 assists

Cameron Graves: 7 kills, 9 digs

Match Two

UC Santa Cruz 3, Fontbonne 0 (25-21, 25-18, 25-22)

Set Notes

Set 1: The Griffins were on top 14-12 after a service ace by Josh Blomberg. The two teams traded points, but the Griffins still were on top, 19-16.

However, the Banana Slugs regained a 20-19 advantage forcing the Fontbonne staff to take a timeout. UC Santa Cruz eventually pulled away going for the 25-21 win. 

The Griffins had eight kills on 24 swings in the first set for a .125 hitting percentage. The Banana Slugs ended with 11 kills and a .143 hitting percentage.

Set 2: Fontbonne started with a 7-3 lead in the second, but the Banana Slugs outscored Fontbonne 15-3 leading 18-10. It was all UC Santa Cruz with the home team winning 25-18.

Fontbonne had nine kills and a .148 hitting percentage in the second, while the Banana Slugs totaled 10 kills and a .160 hitting percentage. 

Set 3: In the third, the two teams were tied 12-12 after a kill from Huster. UC Santa Cruz regained the lead on the next point and held a marginal lead up until Fontbonne tied it 20-20. 

UC Santa Cruz edged out Fontbonne late going on for the 25-22 set and match win. 

Team Stats

• Fontbonne finished with 28 kills and a .189 hitting percentage.
• UC Santa Cruz ended with 40 kills and a .296 hitting percentage. 

Top Griffins

Cameron Graves: 8 kills

Ryan Lively: 7 kills

Joseph Huster: 5 kills, .308 hitting percentage

Alex Gantt: 11 assists

Ryan Taylor: 8 digs

Up Next

The Griffins are back in action next Saturday when they'll head to Dubuque, Iowa to take on Marian (Wis.) at 12 p.m., followed by host Loras at 3 p.m. 

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