GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The Siena Heights men's volleyball team lost a tough match at Aquinas on Wednesday night. The SHU Saints (14-6, 8-5 WHAC) fall to fourth in the conference standings with the loss. However, with one match remaining in the regular season, the Saints are just above the line to qualify for the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC) tournament.
Ramon Matos tallied 18 kills to lead the Siena Heights attack in the losing effort. Alex Garavalia totaled nine kills, five digs, and three blocks on the evening. Zak Tucker collected 38 assists, five digs, and four blocks. Joudiel Poveymirow completed the evening with 18 digs.
Aquinas jumped out to a 3-1 lead early, but Siena Heights rallied to knot things up at six. A kill by Matos sparked four-straight points and gave SHU a 10-7 lead, forcing a timeout from the home team. Two additional tallies by Siena Heights gave the visiting Saints a 12-7 advantage. The margin stayed there until a 4-0 run by Aquinas tied the score at 17. The Saints in navy and yellow retained a slight lead until another tie at 21. Three-consecutive points were awarded to SHU as the team had set point. Brendon Down used a kill to grant Siena the 1-0 lead with a 25-22 decision.
In the second, Siena Heights surrendered a 13-6 lead as Aquinas fought back to tie the score at 16. SHU pulled away again for a 21-18 lead, but the home team battled to tie things at 22. The visiting Saints pulled within a point, 24-23, but a kill gave the second game to Aquinas and tied the score at one-all.
A 5-0 run by the home team early in the third set proved to be the difference on the way to an 18-12 lead. SHU rallied and used small spurts of points to tie the score at 20. Aquinas traded one score for two on the way to a 28-26 win and the 2-1 lead.
Siena Heights again held the lead for most of the fourth set before three-straight points by Aquinas tied things at 18. The host Saints scored in pairs again to take a 24-22 lead that forced a SHU timeout. A kill by Aquinas out of the break ended the match with the 3-1 result.
Up Next
The SHU men's volleyball team will finish the regular season with a home contest against Mount Vernon Nazarene this Saturday, March 26, at 3:00 p.m. The match is Senior Day for Siena Heights, and the final match before the postseason begins.
