GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The Siena Heights men's volleyball team began the 2022 season with a 2-0 start at the MMVI Tournament hosted by Cornerstone and Aquinas inside Mol Arena Grand Rapids, Michigan.
The Saints began the day with a win over crosstown rival Adrian College (23-25, 25-18, 25-20, 25-16) before ending the first day of the tournament with a second four-set win against Judson (25-17, 19-25, 25-17, 25-23).
First Match: Saints vs. Bulldogs
Ramon Matos led the Saints in the first match with 15 kills (.400). Matos also contributed defensively with seven digs and three blocks. Alex Garavalia totaled 11 kills (.320) and ten digs for a double-double. He registered two blocks, an assist, and a service ace toward the victory over the Bulldogs. Zak Tucker made his debut with Siena Heights by pacing the attack to the tune of 42 assists, five digs, two kills, and an ace. Reigning WHAC Setter of the Year, Joudiel Poveymirow led the backline with 12 digs.
The teams traded points for several ties up to a deadlock at eight points apiece. Two straight points gave Adrian College a 10-8 lead maintained until the Saints took a 15-13 advantage off a 3-0 run. The Bulldogs responded with a 3-0 run to capture an 18-17 edge. The score remained close, with another tie at 22. A kill by AC forced a SHU timeout. An attack error gave Adrian set point before the Bulldogs sealed the 1-0 lead with a 25-23 decision.
The Saints used a 4-0 run at the beginning of set two to take a 5-2 lead. Adrian caught up and knotted the score at six. Another run by SHU, this one 3-0, created a lead of 9-6 that was extended to a 24-16 mark in favor of the Saints. A service error by the Bulldogs ended the set and allowed Siena to tie the score at one game apiece.
Adrian took a quick 8-4 lead in the third before the Saints stormed back by scoring eight of the following ten points to take a 12-10 lead and forced AC to call a timeout. The score remained close until the Bulldogs tied the score at 16. Each team traded points up to a draw at 18 points. Marc Arsenault recorded back-to-back kills inside a 3-0 run that gave SHU a 21-18 cushion. The Saints earned the final two points to gain the 25-20 win to take a 2-1 lead.
A 3-0 run gave the Bulldogs a 3-2 lead to start the fourth set. The Saint responded with a 4-0 run to earn a 6-3 advantage. Adrian cut its deficit to 10-9, but SHU remained with the lead, extending it to 17-11 with a 3-0 run. Matos recorded a kill that sparked a 4-0 run and pushed the lead to 21-13 for the Saints. Adrian registered three more points, but it wasn't enough to catch Siena as SHU ended the match with a 25-16 result.
Second Match: Saints vs. Eagles
Matos led the Saints attack again, with 23 kills to bring his debut total to 38 kills for Siena Heights. Tucker finished the contest with 46 assists for a full day total of 88 assists. Poveymirow had a match-high 17 digs to help lead the Saints to 2-0 on the day.
After Judson tied the score at one point, the Saints jumped out to a quick 6-2 lead before building a 10-4 advantage. The Eagles eventually cut the lead to three points, 16-13, but SHU tallied four of the next five points to pull away 20-14 before sealing a 25-17 win to take the 1-0 lead.
Judson jumped out to the early lead in the second set with a 6-3 edge. A 3-0 run by the Saints knotted things up before the Eagles retook the lead at 8-7. Judson then scored six-straight points to hold a 14-7. SHU was able to pull within six points, but the Eagles maintained the margin to tie things up at one game each.
A 6-0 lead gave the Yellow and Blue a 7-1 lead early in the third. A long run of seven points extended the advantage to 17-7, and the Saints never looked back as they took a 2-1 lead.
The score was closed and tied multiple times up to ten points. SHU 3-0 run gave Siena Heights the 13-10 lead. The score was tied again at 16, 19, and 20. The Saints earned five of the next eight points to end the match with the 3-1 victory.
Up Next
Siena Heights finishes the MMVI tournament with matches against Cumberland and Olivet Nazarene tomorrow, January 15. The Saints meet the Phoenix at 11:00 a.m. and the Tigers at 4:00 p.m.
