GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The Indiana Tech men's volleyball program notched its second win over a ranked foe Tuesday evening as they opened Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC) with a 3-0 sweep (27-25, 25-17, 26-24) of No. 9-ranked Aquinas College inside the Sturrus Sports and Fitness Center.
Mason Milan recorded a career-high 15 kills and hit .529 to go along with six digs and three blocks, while
Daynte Stewart had nine kills.
Brandon Jones dished out 24 assists with 10 digs, three blocks and two service aces while
Joey Hermes had 10 digs.
The first set featured nine ties and two lead changes while the Warriors hit .300 in a nail-bitter. The two teams traded points through the first 13 points until the Saints broke the streak with an ace to go up 8-6. A 4-0 run from the hosts put them ahead 14-8 and forcing a timeout call for
Kyle Shondell. Tech never faltered though, pushing through the deficit and fighting back to make it a 21-19 game and getting a timeout called by the hosts. The Warriors won five of the next eight points to go ahead 24-23, their first lead since a 4-3 advantage, and while Aquinas was able to fight off two match points, the Orange and Black pushed through thanks to kills from Milan and Stewart to take the opening set 27-25.
The Warriors came out strong in the second thanks to a 9-4 run, with a 3-0 spurt capping the run. Tech continued to hold a steady lead before breaking out a 4-0 run to extend their advantage to 17-8. Aquinas fought back with a 5-0 spurt to cut the deficit down to 20-16, but Tech surrendered just one more point to take a 2-0 match lead thanks to the 25-17 win.
Another marathon set was on tap for the third as the teams combined for five ties and four lead changes, with a 3-0 run from the visitors giving them a slight 5-3 lead. Tech built the advantage up to 14-10, but the Saints would not go away and used a 5-0 run to take a 21-19 lead. Aquinas got the set to 23-20 and then 24-21, but a gritty showing from the Warriors had them stave off four set points, with Milan grabbing a pair of kills while
Dante Siracusa notched the win with a kill to make it 26-24.
Tech (4-1, 1-0 WHAC) returns to action on Saturday, January 30 as they host Georgetown College. First serve is set for 3 p.m. from the Schaefer Center.
