SYLVANIA, Ohio -- The Siena Heights men's volleyball team was eliminated by Aquinas after a 3-0 loss in the semifinal round of the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC) tournament on Friday evening. Second Team All-WHAC selection Emilier De Jesus led the Saints defense with 21 digs in the losing effort.
THE BASICS
Final Score: Aquinas 3, Siena Heights 0 (25-16, 25-22, 28-26)
Location: Sylvania, Ohio (Ebeid Rec Center)
Record: Aquinas (28-2), Siena Heights (18-10)
HOW IT HAPPENED
Aquinas jumped out to a 10-6 lead early in the first set. They extended the lead to 17-10 before gaining the largest lead of the night with a 21-13 advantage before taking the 1-0 lead.
A 10-3 Aquinas advantage in the second set was dismantled slowly throughout the game as the Saints brought the deficit to only two points (23-21) but the opponents were able to gain the two points needed for the 2-0 edge.
Siena went down swinging in the third set by tying the score 11 times. The lead would change six times in the game as SHU would force extra points and be one drop away from winning the third, but Aquinas hung tough and were able to end the match with a 28-26 decision in the third.
TOP SAINTS
• Bryce Johnson, Emmanuel Chaidez, and Alex Garavalia led the Saints with seven kills. Chaidez had a team-high three blocks while second-team All-WHAC member Garvalia finished with three digs.
• Keegan Crawford, the final SHU Saint on the second-team All-WHAC squad, paced the offense with 23 assists while totaling 16 digs for a double-double on the night.
• De Jesus had a match-high 21 digs while also contributing with four assists.
THE OPPOSITION
• Joshua Boothroyd finished with 20 kills and 10 digs to lead Aquinas.
• Zane Moothart and Ruben Lopez had 15 and 10 kills respectively. Lopez also tallied 14 digs.
• Colby Elder finished with 37 assists to set the tone on the attack.
SEASON WRAP UP
The SHU Saints finish the year with an 18-10 overall record and a 4-4 conference mark. The team finished with four athletes getting selected for All-WHAC honors including De Jesus being named Libero of the Year.
