The Olivet Nazarene University men's volleyball team hosted the Lynx of Lincoln College in a Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic (CCAC) conference match inside McHie Arena on Thursday evening. The Tigers shut out the Lynx, 3-0, in their second home victory of the season.
With the score knotted up at two early in the first set, the Tigers saw kills from Sterling Staranchuk, Max Slaughter, and Garret Schad and took a 5-2 lead. Later in the set, at 11-10, ONU tried to distance themselves from the Lynx as they went on a 5-0 run highlighted by a service ace by James Ballance and a pair of kills from Staranchuk. The Tigers took a 16-10 lead. Kills by Jackson Harvey and Staranchuk down the stretch lifted the Tigers over the Lynx in the first set, 25-20. ONU hit .516 and Staranchuk led the Tigers with seven kills. Schad and Hunter DeMello led the Tigers with eight assists.
The Tigers carried their momentum from the first set into the second set. After the Lynx scored three of the first four points in the set, the Tigers saw a pair of kills from Staranchuk and kills from Collier Kahaku Marquez, Slaughter, and Schad to make the score, 6-3. At the score, 12-8, ONU went on another 4-0 run and grew its lead to 16-8. The Tigers scored the final three points of the set as they won the second set, 25-15. Staranchuk and Braydn Zula tallied kills during that stretch. Slaughter and Staranchuk led ONU with 10 kills while DeMello led the team with 17 assists.
The Lynx came out with a little confidence in the third set as they marked six of the first 10 points. Slaughter tallied a pair of kills while Harvey and Schad also sent over kills. Lincoln then led 11-8 until the Tigers closed in on the lead. A pair of kills from Slaughter and an ace by Ballance highlighted a 4-1 run as the Tigers tied the Lynx at 12. At the 16-15, Lynx, a kill from Staranchuk sparked a 4-0 run as the Tigers took control and led 20-15.
The Tigers outscored Lincoln, 5-2 in the final seven points as they took the third set, 25-17, and the match, 3-0.
MATCH VITALS
Finals: First Set: ONU 25, LC 20 | Second Set: ONU 25, LC 15 | Third Set: ONU 25, LC 17
Records: Olivet Nazarene: 6-20 (4-6 CCAC) | Lincoln: 5-17 (1-9 CCAC)
Location: McHie Arena | Olivet Nazarene University | Bourbonnais, Ill.
QUICK HITS
- Slaughter led the Tigers with 16 kills and Staranchuk followed with 12 kills.
- Slaughter marked his fifth straight double-digit total in kills.
- DeMello led the Tigers with 26 assists while Schad added 17.
- Ballance led the team with 16 digs.
- Staranchuk led the Tigers hitting .611 while Slaughter amassed a .500 clip.
WHAT'S NEXT?
The Tigers welcome the V-Hawks of Viterbo University for a CCAC match on Saturday, March 19th. The opening service is set for 1 p.m. inside McHie Arena.
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