FORT WAYNE, Ind. – The Siena Heights men's volleyball team was eliminated from the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC) tournament after a 3-1 defeat to top-seeded Indiana Tech in the semifinal round. The Saints (15-7) snagged the first set in extras, but the Warriors took the next three to win.
Shevin Blades led the Saints' attack with a .500 hitting percentage with ten kills on 18 attacks. Ramon Matos registered a team-high 12 kills. Alex Garavalia finished with eight kills in the losing effort. Zak Tucker paced play with 37 assists, three kills, and two blocks. Joudiel Poveymirow held the backline with 20 digs.
The Saints jumped out to a 6-2 lead in the opening set with a 4-0 run. For SHU, a second 4-0 run pushed the lead to five points, 12-7. The Warriors rallied to come within a point of tying the game with a 3-0 run. A few plays later, Indiana Tech took the lead after a kill sparked a 6-0 run that gave the Warriors a 21-17 advantage. Garavalia registered a kill to bring Siena's deficit down to three points. Back-to-back errors by Indiana Tech allowed SHU within two points before Brendon Down earned a kill that set off five-straight points that gave the Saints a 26-24 win in the first set.
The second began much like the first, with SHU pulling out a quick lead, 4-2. The Warriors eventually tied things at 11 points before using two runs of five to earn set point as the score sat at 24-15. Matos registered a kill, but an attack error gave the set to Indiana Tech, and the score was tied 1-1.
The Saints began with a 3-0 run in the third before the Warriors stormed back to take a 9-7 lead. Siena Heights battled back to tie the score several times before taking the 17-16 lead. Unfortunately, the Saints would fail to score again as Indiana Tech scored three straight points to take a 19-17 lead and force a Siena timeout. The set ended with a 9-0 run as the hosts took the 2-1 lead.
The Warriors built a 7-3 lead early in the fourth to extend to a seven-point cushion. SHU fought to come within four points of catching Indiana Tech but wouldn't get any closer before the end of the match.
SEASON WRAP UP
The Saints finish the year with the most conference wins in school history with nine. Siena was 15-7 overall, the fifth-best win total in the program's 13-year history. Joudiel Poveymirow (Libero of the Year), Ramon Matos (Newcomer of the Year), and Zak Tucker (Setter of the Year) each claimed one of the major individual WHAC awards for their performance this year. Head coach Chris McKim finishes the second season of his tenure with a 26-14 record while at the helm of the SHU men's volleyball program.
