FORT WAYNE, Ind. – The Indiana Tech men's volleyball team began a new era Thursday evening inside the Schaefer Center as they took on NCAA Division I foe Belmont Abbey College in the programs first match since 1973. Tech fell to the Crusaders in straight sets, 25-21, 25-15, 25-12, but showed toughness before a strong showing of Warrior faithful.
Chase Christiansen, the only played for the Warriors to have played in a collegiate match, had a team-high eight kills and two blocks while hitting .250.
Mason Milan added seven kills, three services aces, three digs and one block.
Chandler Davis dished out 18 assists while
Joey Hermes had seven digs.
The two sides traded points over the first six serves, but the Crusaders grabbed control of the set with a 7-0 run. A 4-0 spurt from Belmont Abbey pushed their lead to 15-6 and forced head coach
Kyle Shondell to call a timeout. The Warriors made a comeback though, battling back from a 17-9 deficit with a 7-2 run to make it a 19-16 game. Tech continued to surge ahead as they cut the deficit to 21-19 and the Schaefer Center crowd came alive as the Orange and Black looked poised to tie or go ahead, but the visitors closed the set on a 4-2 run to go up 1-0 in the match.
The Warriors got their first lead of the night on the first serve of the second set as the Crusader serve went into the net, but the Crusaders responded with a 7-3 run to go ahead 7-4 and never looked back in the set. A 5-0 spurt extended the lead for the visitors to 12-5 while a 5-2 spurt pushed it to 19-10 in favor of the Crusaders. A quick 3-0 spurt put Tech back in control for a bit, but Belmont Abbey regained control with a 6-2 run to take the set and go up 2-0.
Tech came out in the third period looking to extend the match as they trailed 6-5 after 11 serves with both sides holding the momentum, but a 6-1 run from the Crusaders extended their lead to 12-6. Belmont Abbey proved to be too tough for the Warriors as they closed out the set on a 9-1 run to complete the sweep.
Tech (0-1) returns to action on Tuesday, January 14 as they host NCAA Division III and regional foe Trine University. First serve is set for 7:30 p.m. from the Schaefer Center.
