Saints Down Eagles in Straight Sets

Photo by Mike Dickie
Photo by Mike Dickie

CHICAGO -- The Siena Heights men's volleyball team swept Robert Morris (Ill.) in straight sets to complete the trip to the Windy City with a 2-0 record. Keegan Crawford (Columbus, Ohio) led the Saints with a double-double with 20 assists and 12 digs.

THE BASICS

Final Score: Siena Heights 3, Robert Morris (Ill.) 0 (25-15, 25-16, 25-14)

Location: Chicago, Illinois (RMU ACC)

Records: Siena Heights (17-8), Robert Morris (Ill.) (1-19)

HOW IT HAPPENED

The Saints used runs of three and four to build an 8-2 lead early and never looked back in the first set. The lead was pushed to double-digits, 17-7, and stayed there through the end to give Siena the 1-0 lead.

A 5-0 run gave SHU a 10-6 lead early in the second. A 3-0 run increased the lead to 18-10 before the Saints took a 2-0 lead with a 25-16 decision in the set. 

A service error by the Eagles started a 6-0 run for Siena that put the score at 8-1. A service ace from Evan Cashen (St. Joseph, Mich.) sparked a 4-0 run that gave SHU a 12-point lead, 17-5. Robert Morris (Ill.) used a 3-0 run to cut the deficit to 17-8 but the Eagles failed to catch the Saints before the match point was scored by SHU.

TOP SAINTS

Bryce Johnson (Pickerington, Ohio) led Siena Heights with a match-high 12 kills. 

• Crawford's assists and digs were both match-high totals. He added three blocks and a service ace to his stat line.

Kevin Gomez (La Estrella, Colombia) finished with seven kills, two service aces, four digs, and two blocks.

THE OPPOSITION

• Jordan Von Borstel led the Eagles with eight kills.

• Charles Norman paced the Robert Morris (Ill.) attack with 18 assists.

• Anthony Galeana had a team-high nine digs.

UP NEXT

The Saints return home to host the SHU Tournament this coming Friday and Saturday, March 13-14, 2020. The first match for Siena Heights will be against Lincoln (Ill.) on Friday at 7:00 p.m., EST.