SYLVANIA, Ohio (LourdesAthletics.com) -- The Lourdes University men's volleyball team fought back from an early two-set deficit but came up just short in a five-set thriller against Siena Heights University on Tuesday evening inside the Russell J. Ebeid Recreation Center. The Saints edged the Gray Wolves 25-20, 28-26, 17-25, 17-25, 15-13 in a tightly contested Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference matchup.
Vinicius Lopez delivered a dominant offensive performance, leading all players with 25 kills while hitting .333. Jaber Badarne added 12 kills, and Mitch Hoffman contributed nine kills along with a team-high five blocks. Joey Bianco and Daniel Nascimento ran the Lourdes offense efficiently, dishing out 23 and 22 assists, respectively.
After dropping the first two sets, Lourdes responded with a .440 hitting percentage in the third frame, led by Lopez and Badarne, to extend the match. The Gray Wolves kept the momentum rolling in the fourth, using a balanced attack to force a decisive fifth set. However, Siena Heights capitalized on a strong finish, edging out Lourdes 15-13 in the final frame.
Defensively, Brayden Moyars anchored the back row with 13 digs, while Hoffman made his presence felt at the net with five blocks. Lourdes outperformed Siena Heights in total kills (58-48) and hitting percentage (.231-.195), but the Saints held a 9-7 edge in blocks and a 7-5 advantage in service aces, proving to be the difference in the match.
With the loss, Lourdes moves to 5-6 overall and 3-3 in WHAC play.
Up Next:
Lourdes (5-6, 3-3 WHAC) returns to action on Tuesday, March 4, when the Gray Wolves host Lawrence Tech University in another WHAC matchup inside the Russell J. Ebeid Recreation Center. First serve is set for 7 p.m. in Sylvania, Ohio.
