TIGERS SWEEP VITERBO, FALL TO GOVERNORS STATE IN SATURDAY SPLIT

BOURBONNAIS, Ill. – Olivet Nazarene men's volleyball earned a three-set sweep over Viterbo before falling in four sets to Governors State on Saturday at McHie Arena. The Tigers were led by Brody McAfee, who totaled 21 kills across both matches while hitting .222 on the day. Cade Ooms added 19 kills, and Jaiton Kamaunu chipped in 17 kills and 16 digs in the split effort. Jackson Harvey contributed 14 total blocks, and Will Byers dished out 38 assists across both contests.

The Tigers came out sharp in their 3-0 sweep of Viterbo (26-24, 25-23, 25-13), hitting .321 as a team. Kamaunu recorded 10 kills, McAfee, Kamaunu, and Garret Schad each added six, and Jackson Harvey totaled eight blocks. ONU closed the opening set on a 3-0 run, capped by back-to-back kills from Ooms to seal it 26-24. The Tigers rallied from a five-point hole in the second after Kamaunu and Harvey teamed up for three straight blocks to erase the V-Hawks' lead and put ONU in front 21-18 before McAfee put down the set-clinching kill. ONU raced to a 20-9 lead in the third behind strong net play from McAfee, Marquez, and Schad before a service ace from Kyle Szymanski put the exclamation point on the 25-13 win.

In the second match, ONU dropped a 3-1 decision (22-25, 25-18, 16-25, 18-25) to Governors State despite a solid start. Ooms and McAfee led the Tigers with 15 kills apiece, while Kamaunu followed with another seven. The Tigers took control in the second set, using a dominant stretch midway through to even the match. After trailing 6-4 early, ONU rattled off nine of the next 11 points, highlighted by a service ace from Kamaunu, back-to-back kills from Ooms, and a block assist from Harvey. McAfee capped the set with a kill from the right side, sealing the 25-18 win and tying the match at one set apiece. But the Jaguars responded with 27 kills across the final two sets to pull away. A key stretch late in the fourth set saw Governors State maintain a steady edge, trading points with the Tigers before closing it out 25-18. Despite kills from Marquez and McAfee, ONU couldn't recover.

Looking Ahead

ONU will return to action on Apr. 3rd, with a conference road match at Calumet College of St. Joseph. First serve is set for 7 p.m. CST in Whiting, Ind.

—ONU—

*Contact Anyssa Hampton, Sports Information Graduate Assistant, ahampton@olivet.edu