The Lindenwood men's volleyball team made program history on Friday night in Fort Wayne, Ind. with a 3-2 win over No. 15 IPFW in the first round of the MIVA Tournament. The Lions advance to the MIVA semifinals for the first time in their short history in the league.
 
Lindenwood needed a dramatic fifth-set comeback to earn a 21-25, 26-24, 25-21, 22-25, and 15-13 victory. The Lions fell behind early in the deciding game and trailed by four points at 11-7. Lindenwood saved its season though with a 5-0 run, including two service aces by Jake Duckworth and two kills by Colin Hackworth. IPFW tied the game at 12, but Lindenwood scored three of the final four points. Logan Jarus put the squad ahead for good, and Zach Bequette's solo block put Lindenwood at match point. After one IPFW point, Hackworth finished the match with a kill.
 
Lindenwood hit .292 for the match, compared to .176 for IPFW, and the Lions had 14 more kills. Lindenwood did have 26 service errors, but had six fewer attack errors than the home team.
 
Lindenwood received a balanced offense with four players in double-figure kills. Hackworth led the team with 16, followed by Jarus with 13, Kyle Overby with 12, and Duckworth with 10. Jarus hit .600 while recording a career-high in kills. Connor Metcalfe directed the offense and had 48 assists.
 
Ryan Vorderer led the defense with nine digs, and Duckworth had seven. Bequette finished with six blocks and led the team in that category.
 
Lindenwood improves to 13-11 on the season. The Lions will play in the semifinals on Tuesday evening against the first-round winner between No. 1 Lewis and Grand Canyon.