GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The Siena Heights men's volleyball team wrapped up the final day of the MMVI Tournament held inside Mol Arena in Grand Rapids, Michigan, with sweeps of Cumberland (25-13, 25-15, 25-16) and Olivet Nazarene (25-17, 28-26, 25-22). The Saints (4-0) have now won four straight to begin the 2022 season perfect through the first weekend.
First Match: Saints vs. Phoenix
Ramon Matos led the Saints attack with seven kills in the match. Matos also added four aces, a team-high seven digs, and a block in the winning effort. Jakob Pickett recorded six kills, three digs, and three blocks to contribute to the success of SHU. Zak Tucker paced things for the Saints with 21 assists to go along with a kill and a dig.
Siena Heights was dominant in the first set as they hit .412 as a team with ten kills and only three errors as they pulled away for the 1-0 lead. The edge was achieved when a 9-0 run gave the Saints a 13-6 advantage, and SHU never looked back.
The Blue and Yellow improved the numbers in the second set, hitting .435 with 12 kills and just two errors. The Saints scored points in bunches to build a commanding 21-14 lead in the match's second game. However, a 4-0 run spurred by errors from the Phoenix gave SHU the 25-15 decision for the 2-0 lead.
Runs of the 4-0 and 3-0 gave SHU the 11-5 margin in the third set. Cumberland pulled within five points, but the Saints proved to be too much as they ended the match after a 25-16 score to complete the sweep.
Second Match: Saints vs. Tigers
Matos led the Saints in kills for the fourth-straight match to begin the season. He totaled 14 against the Tigers for a daily total of 21 kills. Joudiel Poveymirow led the defensive effort in the day's last match with seven digs. Tucker added 30 more assists for a total of 51 dishes on the afternoon. Jakob Pickett was a force at the net with five blocks for the Saints in the win.
Siena Heights jumped out to a quick 7-2 run to start the first set. Then, a 4-0 run extended the advantage to 14-5. Olivet Nazarene used a 4-0 run to cut things to five points, but the Saints tallied the final three points necessary to claim the first set.
SHU created a 5-2 lead in the second and extended it to 8-4 with a 3-0 run. The Tigers used a 3-0 run to bring the score to 8-7. Two straight points from ONU tied the score at ten, and the teams then traded points to a tie at 13. The Tigers took a 15-13 lead that was pushed to 20-16. An attack error gave Olivet Nazarene the set point, 24-21. Siena Heights rattled off four-consecutive points to force extras as they held a 25-24 edge. ONU flipped the advantage with two points to take the 26-25 lead and earn set point again. A service error tied the score at 26 before kills from Marc Arsenault, and Shevin Blades gave SHU the 2-0 lead.
Arsenault ignited a 4-0 that gave the Blue and Yellow a 4-1 lead in the third. The Tigers fought to keep the scoring margin within just a few points throughout the majority of the set until a 4-0 run gave SHU a 21-15 lead, and Siena never looked back to claim the win after three.
Up Next
The Saints host Indiana Tech next Saturday, January 22 for the home opener of 2022 inside the SHU Fieldhouse. The match is scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m.
