OLIVET KICKS OFF THE CCAC WITH A WIN OVER RU IN STRAIGHT SETS
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Olivet Nazarene (4-1, 1-0) | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
|
Roosevelt (1-3, 0-1) | 18 | 19 | 19 | 0 |
CHICAGO, Ill. – The Olivet Nazarene University men's volleyball program opened up the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC) with a victory in straight sets over Roosevelt University Wednesday night. The Freshman, Thoralf Schmelzer, led the way with 13 kills for a team-high 16.5 points to down the Lakers.
The Tigers began the first set strong to build a 13-5 lead. Back-to-back kills from Schmelzer assisted by Hunter DeMello highlighted a 5-0 ONU run forcing RU to take their first timeout of the match. The Lakers benefitted from a 6-2 run followed by a 5-2 run to cut the lead to two. Kills from Cade Ooms, Schmelzer, and Jake Ostema propelled Olivet to take the first set 25-18 on the back of a 6-1 run.
ONU took a 2-0 sets lead after a contentious back-and-forth second set. The early moments saw five ties and five lead changes. Sterling Staranchuk tallied a kill to give the Tigers a 9-8 lead, a lead that they would not relinquish for the rest of the set. The set point was won from a Schmelzer block and the visitors topped the home side 25-19.
The Tigers kicked off the final set with a 5-1 advantage. The Lakers would not go down quietly as they fought back to tie the set at 10-10. Schmelzer's service broke the set open allowing ONU to score three consecutive points and build a 22-16 advantage. Will Kraft put the exclamation point on the night with the final kill assisted by Garrett Schad to start conference play with a win.
QUICK HITS
- The Tigers tallied 45 kills to RU's 23.
- DeMello led all players with 33 assists.
- DeMello and James Ballance combined for 22 digs.
- Schmelzer recorded four service aces in back-to-back matches.
WHAT'S NEXT
ONU will play their home opener against Lawrence Tech on Thursday, Feb. 2. The match start time is scheduled for 7 p.m. CT in McHie Arena. Please visit ONUTigers.com for all the links to follow the action.
--ONU—
*Contact: Patrick Kaindl; Sports Information Graduate Assistant, email pkaindl@olivet.edu
