SYLVANIA, Ohio -- The Siena Heights men's volleyball team defeated Saint Andrews (N.C.) 3-1 on Saturday, the second day of the Lourdes Invitational. Keegan Crawford (Columbus, Ohio) paced the Saints attack with 39 assists in the winning effort.
THE BASICS
Final Score: Siena Heights 3, Saint Andrews (N.C.) 1 (25-20, 21-25, 25-21, 25-20)
Location: Sylvania, Ohio (Ebeid Rec Center)
Records: Siena Heights (15-8), Saint Andrews (5-10)
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Saints took a 5-2 lead following a 4-0 run. The Knights went on a 4-0 run of their own to recapture the lead, 6-5. Siena Heights eventually built a 16-11 point lead before using another 4-0 run to extend it to 20-13. Saint Andrews brought it within four points (21-17) but couldn't catch the Saints before a 25-20 end of set one.
The Knights started the second with a 6-0 run, but SHU used runs of 4-0 and 5-0 to take a 16-14 lead. A 3-0 run gave Saint Andrew's the slimmest of margins (17-16) but the Saints quickly regained an 18-17 advantage. The score would be deadlocked twice more at 18 and 19 before the Knights pulled ahead to take set two, 25-21 and tie the score at a game apiece.
The third set was all Siena in the beginning as the team built a 6-2 lead off a 4-0 run. Saint Andrews eventually drew within a point (22-21), but the Saints rattled off three-straight scores to take the 2-1 lead.
The score remained within four points for much of the beginning portion of the fourth set. Eventually, Siena crept to an 18-11 lead before ending the match with a 25-20 decision.
TOP SAINTS
• Kevin Gomez (La Estrella, Colombia) and Evan Cashen (St. Joseph, Mich.) led the SHU attack with 12 kills. Gomez added seven digs, two blocks, and an assist to his totals. Cashen contributed seven digs, four blocks, two assists, and two service aces.
• Crawford added four digs and three blocks to his team-high in assists.
• Emilier De Jesus (Chesterton, Ind.) had a match-high 18 digs to go along with two assists and a service ace.
• Bryce Johnson (Pickerington, Ohio) finished with seven kills, one ace, one block, and 13 digs.
THE OPPOSITION
• Jacob DeSouza led the Knights with 16 kills.
• Dakota Hotaling had a match-high 43 assists and also led the team with 13 digs.
UP NEXT
The Saints begin a two-match trip to the Chicago area. The faceoff against 9th-ranked Saint Xavier (Ill.) on Friday, March 6 at 8:00 p.m., EST, before completing the trip with a match against Robert Morris (Ill.) the following Saturday.
