ONU OPENS SEASON WITH TWO WINS ON DAY ONE OF NCCAA INVITE
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Olivet Nazarene (2-0) | 27 | 25 | 17 | 21 | 15 | 3 |
|
Lancaster Bible (1-1) | 25 | 20 | 25 | 25 | 11 | 2 |
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Judson (0-1) | 16 | 17 | 19 | 0 |
|
Olivet Nazarene (1-0) | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
PALOS HEIGHTS, Ill. - In their second season as a program, the Olivet Nazarene University men's volleyball team picked up a pair of victories in the first day of the NCCAA National Invitational, hosted by Trinity Christian College.
First Match: Olivet Nazarene 3, Judson 0
The Tigers took on CCAC foe Judson in their first pool play match, and the Tigers got out to a red-hot start to roll to a 25-16, 25-17, 25-19 straight-set victory. A Cade Ooms kill put the Tigers up 5-2 early, grad transfer Jake Ostema went on a four-point serve streak to put ONU by seven.
Ostema eventually put the set away with a kill to pick up the Tigers first set win of the season. The Tigers hit a scorching .556 hitting percentage in the opening set, securing 11 kills on 18 total attacks. ONU kept pace in the second set, cruising to a 25-17 set victory. Thoralf Schmelzer hammered home three kills and tabbed a solo block to lead ONU to the third set.
With the game tied at 16-all in the third set, ONU rallied off seven-unanswered points to take control of the set and the match. Kahaku Marquez ended the spurt with a kill dished up by Hunter DeMello Sitting at match point, Tomas Gonzalez put the game away with a kill that gave the Tigers their first win of the 2023 campaign.
Tomas Gonzalez puts away the kill to lock up the straight-set win over Judson.
Second Match: Olivet Nazarene 3, Lancaster Bible 2
Jake Ostema finished with a match-best 20 kills to lead the Tigers to a 27-25, 25-20, 17-25, 21-25, 15-11 win over Lancaster Bible in game two of the NCCAA Invite.
ONU broke away midway through the fifth an decisive set in the Pool A bracket match. With the match tied at 4-4, Ostema put away a kill to give the Tigers the lead and ignite a 6-2 scoring run. Lancaster battled back to within 13-10, but Thoralf Schmelzer recorded his 10th kill of the match to give ONU a set point. And two points later, Ostema put down a kill to close out the victory.
The Tigers were credited with five kills and just two hitting errors in the final set.
Ostema and Schmelzer both registered double-digit kills, led by Ostema. Schmelzer finished with 10. Cade Ooms narrowly missed double figures, finishing with eight.
Hunter DeMello led ONU with 23 assists while Tomas Gonzalez dished out 17 assists of his own. Schmelzer and James Ballance racked up eight digs each.
Jake Ostema hammers home his 20th kill of the match to secure the ONU victory.
GAME VITALS
Finals: Match One: First Set: ONU 25, JUD 16 | Second Set: ONU 25, JUD 17 | Third Set: ONU 25, JUD 19
Match Two: First Set: ONU 27, LBC 25 | Second Set: ONU 25, LBC 20 | Third Set: LBC 25, ONU 17 | Fourth Set: LBC 25, ONU 21 | Fifth Set: ONU 15, LBC 11
Location: Mitchell Gymnasium | Trinity Christian College | Palos Heights, Ill.
QUICK HITS
First Match
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The Tigers hit a .556 hitting percentage in the first set (11-of-18).
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Thoralf Schmelzer put away a game-high 10 kills.
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Tomas Gonzalez was the team leader in assists (26) and digs (6).
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Jake Ostema tabbed three solo blocks and three block assists.
Second Match
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Jake Ostema led the match with 20 kills.
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Thoralf Schmelzer tabbed 10 assists and eight digs.
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Hunter DeMello notched 23 assists while Tomas Gonzalez nabbed 17.
WHAT'S NEXT?
With the two wins, the Tigers emerged as the winner of the 'A' pool at the NCCAA Invite. ONU will play in the semifinal match at 12 p.m. CST in DeVos Gymnasium on the campus of Trinity Christian College. Their opponent is yet to be determined.
--ONU—
*Contact: Evan Wild, Sports Information Director, ewwild@olivet.edu
