Men’s Volleyball: Olivet downed by Mount St. Joseph in four sets

OLIVET, Mich. – The University of Olivet men's volleyball team lost a four-set match to Midwest Collegiate Volleyball League foe Mount St. Joseph (Ohio) University tonight at the Cutler Event Center. After the Comets won the first set, the Lions roared back to win the next three sets.

• Final Score: Mount St. Joseph defeated Olivet 23-25, 25-17, 25-23, 27-25
• Location: Cutler Event Center; Olivet, Michigan
• Records: Olivet 5-20 overall, 0-4 MCVL; Mount St. Joseph 5-12 overall, 1-4 MCVL

• The opening set was back-and-forth, as there were 11 tied scores in the first 26 combined points scored. Following a 13-13 deadlock, the Comets used two kills and a Lion attack error to take the largest lead for either team. Mount St. Joseph fought back to level the score at 18-18 and 19-19. From there, Olivet took advantage of four errors – one on serve and three attacks – to go up 23-19. The Comets got to set point at 24-20 before Mount St. Joseph saved three set points. Following a timeout, senior Deontay Thomas hammered down a kill to end the set in Olivet's favor.
• The second set was like the first, with multiple tied scores in the early stages. After the last one at 10-10, the Lions put four of the next five points on the scoreboard for a 14-11 lead. Mount St. Joseph did not trail for the rest of the set.
• In the third set, Olivet raced out to a pair of four-point leads at 10-6 and 11-7. The Lions answered with a 9-2 run to take a 16-13 lead. The Comets chipped away at their deficit and closed the gap to a single point at 24-23. Mount St. Joseph slammed down a kill to close out the set.
• The fourth set saw Olivet go ahead 5-2. The Comets eventually pushed their lead to as many as six points at 22-16. The Lions retaliated with a 6-1 spurt to make the score 23-22. A kill by senior Kai Hartman got Olivet to set point before Mount St. Joseph scored three straight points to make the score 25-24. A kill by Thomas evened the score. The Lions responded with their own kill and double block at the net to post the come-from-behind win.

• Senior Quinn Dickerson recorded 18 kills.
• Thomas finished with 14 kills to go along with a team-leading 15 digs.
• Hartman had 31 set assists, followed by senior Everett Haynes with 14.
• Senior Will Mensching also reached double figures in digs with 12.

• Olivet welcomes the Wittenberg (Ohio) University Tigers to the Cutler Event Center tomorrow afternoon for a MCVL match, starting at 1 p.m.