ST. CHARLES, MO. - The Lindenwood men's volleyball team fell in a 0-3 loss to USC on Friday night at Long Beach State in California. 

OVERVIEW
The visiting Lions had a tough assignment going up against the powerhouse Trojans, but they didn't back down from the fight. USC would end up winning set one in a 16-25 final score, but the Lions looked to adjust better for set two.

A.J. Lewis led the attack, a familiar position for the senior standout to be in, with three total kills on his five total attempts, setting the tone with a strong .600 hitting percentage to kick things off. As a team, however, the Lions were only able to string together a .154 attacking percentage in that first set, letting attacking errors get the best of them. 

Lindenwood hit better as a team in set two, this time compiling a .231 percentage, but the Trojans strung together another dominant attack, hitting .417 as a collective. Ian Schuller started heating up for the Lions during this set, tallying six kills on eight total attempts for a stellar .750 on his stat line. Clay Wieter also got into a groove, knocking down three total kills during this set. Despite some big attacking performances in this set, the Lions would ultimately fall in a 21-25 final score.

The third set would unfortunately pan out much like the first, with various errors creeping up on Lindenwood throughout the set. The Trojans hit their best of the night, compiling a .579 team attacking percentage, improving in this category significantly with each set played. The Lions would not be able to respond quick enough, and fell in another 16-25 final mark. 

Schuller ended the night on top of the attacking leaderboard with his 10 kills, while Lewis was right behind him with his nine. Connor Sheehan tallied a team-leading 26 assists, while Wieter would execute the highest number of receptions with 20 total and only one error. Kyle Deutschmann led the way defensively with his six digs while also contributing the second-highest number of receptions with 16 total. 

Sheehan and Kadin Warner knocked down the Lions' two service aces for the night with one a piece, while Schuller and Wieter each contributed two blocks to take the top slot in that statistical category. 

LEADERS
Ian Schuller (10 K, .208 A%, 2 BLK, 11.0 PTS)
A.J. Lewis (9 K, .300 A%, 13 REC, 1 S BLK)
Clay Wieter (8 K, 20 REC, 2 BLK)

UP NEXT
The Lions will remain in California for a match against the hosts, Long Beach State, tomorrow night starting at 9:00 p.m. CST.