The Lindenwood men's volleyball team finished the Lindenwood Invitational undefeated, defeating St. Ambrose 3-2 in the final match on Saturday. The Lions were able to stave off a St. Ambrose comeback, prevailing with scores of 25-14, 25-18, 23-25, 17-25, and 15-9.
Lindenwood took the first game right from the beginning by getting out to a 5-0 lead behind Mike Larson's serving. The Lions refused to let up, going on another 5-0 run later in the set, and Tim Huizinga closed out the game with a kill.
Lindenwood jumped out to a quick lead again, but surrendered it midway through the game. A couple of Bradley Johnston kills late in the set and a Larson service ace enabled the Lions to go on a 5-0 stretch and put the game out of reach.
The third game was a heart-breaker, as Lindenwood held the lead and control of the match all the way up until 23-21 when St. Ambrose scored four consecutive points to steal the set.
The Bees carried that momentum into the fourth game, where they never gave Lindenwood any chance to catch them. The Lions pulled within four points late, but this match had to go to a fifth game.
There was a lot of excitement going into the sudden death game, a matchup between two skilled teams. Game five was close in the beginning, but thanks to two massive blocks by Jack Mitchell and two critical service aces by JM Plummer, the Lions took charge of the final set. The bench exploded after Mike Warren pounded a game-winning kill into the back-right corner of the court to give Lindenwood its fourth straight win.
Leaders for Lindenwood were Johnston and Warren with 15 and 11 blocks respectively. Both Larson and Carson Grissinger provided over 20 assists in the win, with Larson serving three aces and Grissinger grabbing one ace. Defensively, Matt Schmack led the Lions with five blocks. Johnston also tallied a team-high six digs and three aces.
Earlier in the day, Lindenwood swept Clarke University by scores of 25-19, 25-20, and 37-35.
The match began with both teams playing evenly. But when the first game was tied 10-10, the Lions went on a 7-3 run and put some space between themselves and Clarke. The serving was a big part of the success, with three aces scored by the tournament hosts. Plummer played an important role in his first game of the tournament, as he tallied a block and a kill to register two of the final three points for the win.
The second game was in Clarke's favor until late. Down 15-18, Lindenwood went on a 10-2 rally to end the game. Rick Hess scored the final two points with a block and a kill to put the Lions up two games to zero.
The final set was a thriller, with the lead going back and forth the entire game. Warren had some huge kills down the stretch, including the match-winner to give the Lions the three-game victory.
Johnston led Lindenwood with 11 kills and Plummer added 10 as well. Larson gathered 22 assists, and served three aces. Defensively, Mike Emerick had nine digs, and Hess had 5 blocks.
On Friday, the Lions completed sweeps of both St. Xavier and Hope International.
In Lindenwood's first match, it defeated St. Xavier by scores of 25-15, 25-12, 25-16.
The first game was fairly even until about midway through the set. Lindenwood led 13-12, when Warren gave the team some momentum with one of his 10 kills in the match. From that point on, the Lions went on a 12-3 run to end the game and earn the game one victory.
In the second game, Johnston and Carson Grissinger gave Lindenwood a boost with their serving. Johnston began serving with his team leading 13-9, when Lions went on a 4-0 run. A few points later, Grissinger started a run of his own, including two aces. Lindenwood never trailed in this set, prevailing by 13 points.
Game three was dominated by the Lions, rattling off 10 straight points behind Johnston's serves and Matt Schmack's blocking early on in the set. Lindenwood led by as many as 12 points and closed out the match comfortably.
Johnston had an excellent overall showing tallying nine kills, seven digs, and three aces. Schmack recorded a team-high five blocks, while Warren led the way in kills with 10. Larson posted seven digs and Grissinger added three service aces in the contest.
The second match was more of the same, as Lindenwood took down Hope International. The Lions edged out Hope in the first game 26-24, but then coasted to two more wins by scores of 25-16 and 25-18 to take the sweep.
In game one, both teams held the lead several times and the game came down to the wire. Lindenwood pulled ahead late and managed to hang on for the win in extra points with a huge kill from Taylor Morrill. Johnston and Warren both had big games with clutch kills as well.
Game two was more comfortable for the Lions as they got out to a 5-0 lead, with Johnston serving again, and they never relinquished it. Morrill picked up where he finished the first game, contributing in the kills department, and Raphael Mattos ended the game with his second service ace of the set.
The final game was back and forth in the early stages, but again, Lindenwood found its way about midway through the game and went on a 9-2 run, never looking back. During that run, Larson put down two aces and continued the good serving for the Lions. A strong kill from Rick Hess clinched the match for Lindenwood.
Warren and Johnston led the way with 14 and 11 blocks respectively, while Larson had 27 assists and Grissinger added 17 assists. Johnston also helped out defensively with 10 digs. Hess and Schmack each posted four blocks in the win.
Lindenwood moves to 6-5 overall after the undefeated stretch at the Lindenwood Invitational. The Lions will return to action Tuesday night as they play host to Hannibal-LaGrange at Hyland Arena.
