MOUNT VERNON, Ohio – The Indiana Tech men's volleyball team traveled to Mount Vernon, Ohio, over the weekend to compete in two Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC) matchups with the Mount Vernon Nazarene University Cougars. In Friday's showing, the Warriors downed the hosts 3-1, but the Cougars bounced back on Saturday to take down the Warriors in a five-set thriller.
 
In the opener on Friday, the Warriors got off to a hot start, doubling the host's score to find an early 10-5 lead in the first set. The Cougars battled back and cut the Warrior's lead to one point on a couple of different occasions, but the Warriors refused to let the hosts draw level, scoring seven of the set's final eight points to win 25-17. The second set was a closely contested battle with an even score through all stages of the set. However, with the set tied 25-25, the Cougars scored back-to-back to take the set 27-25. The third set played out more like the first, as the Warriors jumped to an early 10-4 lead and maintained control through the remainder of the set to claim it 25-18. The fourth set was toe-to-toe through the opening stages, but a 4-0 run while trailing 15-17 by the Warriors gave them the lead and the momentum needed to carry them through the remainder of the set, win 25-22 and claim the match, 3-1.
 
Saturday's match got off to a similar start to Friday's as the Warriors rode an early 6-0 run to a 25-22 set one win. Despite the Cougars cutting the lead to one, the Warriors were able to hold on. The second set was the reverse of the first, as it was the hosts who jumped to an early 12-5 lead, and despite the Warriors battling back to cut the lead to one, the Cougars held on to win 25-22. The two sides traded points in the opening stages of the third set, but the Warrior's ability to string together short 2-0 and 3-0 runs ultimately gave them the advantage as they took the set 25-20. The fourth set was, once again, another hard-fought battle, but a 7-1 run from the Cougars as Tech led 16-14 doomed the Warriors as the hosts leveled the match at two a piece with a 25-21 fourth-set victory. The fifth set began in favor of the Cougars as they took a 9-6 lead and held onto it until the Warriors finally broke through to take their first lead at the 13-12 mark. Leading 14-13 and needing just one point, the Warriors couldn't find the answer as the hosts closed the set on a 3-0 run, winning 16-14 and claiming the match.
 
Tech moves to 17-4 on the season and sits 8-3 in conference play. Tech travels to Mishawaka, Indiana, for their next contest with Bethel University on Tuesday, March 26, at 6:00 p.m.