HARROGATE, Tenn. — The Catawba College men's volleyball team closed out its inaugural regular season slate with a setback at 16th-ranked Lincoln Memorial, 3-0, at Mary Mars Gymnasium on Saturday.
TEAM STATS
- Catawba (13-11, 1-2 IVA) recorded a .235 hitting percentage against the robust .455 mark tendered by Lincoln Memorial (21-1, 3-0 IVA)
- LMU leveraged a 7-2 advantage in service aces, but also committed more service errors by a 13-9 margin
- The blue and white were held to a season-low 16 digs as the Railsplitters tallied 25
- The Catawba Indians carried its Friday's impressive blocking performance into the tilt, leading LMU in stops 5-4
INDIVIDUAL STATS
- Trevor Phillips delivered 11 kills, ending the regular season on an eight-match streak in double figures, while tallying one ace and a team-high five digs
- Eli Zdonek notched six kills and three digs in addition to a pair of blocks
- John Cordray whacked five kills on an efficient .364 clip, the second-best mark of his young career
- Luke O'Neill elevated for four blocks including one solo, also chipping in five kills plus three digs
- Nate Seeger distributed 27 assists at the setter slot with one dig and one stop
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Set
- Wyatt Eastin opened the match with an ace, but LMU took control of a neck-and-neck contest early
- Griffin Wheatley played a key role in helping the Splitters grow their lead to 14-9
- Attempts to widen the gap were met with opposition by Zdonek and Phillips, who provided a combined five kills in the later portion of the set
- A side-out strike and consecutive aces from Matthew Gentry closed the first frame in LMU's favor, 25-17
Second Set
- Catawba benefitted from a few errors committed by the hosts, rising into the lead before LMU went on a 7-2 run
- Phillips and Zdonek continued to power the offensive unit as a pair of assisted blocks tightened the deficit to 15-14
- Following a back-and-forth of off-target serves, Cordray and Zdonek landed kills and an LMU attacking miscue cut the gap to one again at 22-21
- Wins on three of the next four rallies allowed the Splitters to squeak out the second set, 25-22
Third Set
- Despite darts from Phillips and O'Neill, the home team rolled to swift 8-3 advantage
- The balanced LMU offense saw major contributions from Gentry who aced and killed a rally to strengthen the lead to 15-9
- Bullseyes by Cordray and Phillips plus an O'Neill solo denial kept Catawba in business
- After watching the gap get sliced down to 18-14, LMU dashed to the finish line with a 7-1 kick to seal a 25-15 decision in set three
UP NEXT
Catawba turns its attention to the Intercollegiate Volleyball Association Tournament hosted by Maryville University of St. Louis on Apr. 18-19. Seeding is to be determined.
