DUBUQUE, Iowa – With its back against the wall, the Lakeland College men's volleyball team rallied from a 2-1 deficit to defeat Loras (Iowa) College in five sets Saturday night in a Midwest Collegiate Volleyball League match.
The Muskies rallied to defeat the Duhawks 25-15, 17-25, 19-25, 25-19, 15-9 to improve to 13-14 overall this year and 6-4 in the MCVL. Lakeland won a five-set match for the first time this season after losing in its previous five five-setters.
The Muskies needed contributions throughout the lineup to defeat a Loras (3-17 overall, 1-10 MCVL) team in its first varsity season. Five players finished with at least eight kills and six recorded at least six digs.
Lakeland responded after losing the second and third sets by jumping out to sizeable leads in both the fourth and fifth sets.
Matt Stolz (
So.-Wauwatosa, Wis.) served out five straight points to give the Muskies an early 6-1 lead in the fourth that they would never relinquish, and
Matt Nawa (
So.-New Lenox, Ill.) and Stolz both served early in the fifth set in building an early 5-1 lead.
Alec Redlich (
Sr.-Wauwatosa, Wis.) led the way with 15 kills,
Tim Robbins (
So.-Wheaton, Ill.) had 12 kills and
Kyle Krogstad (
Jr.-Chicago, Ill.) added nine kills, including five in the fifth set. Lakeland hit .179 for the match with 60 kills and 35 errors in 140 attack attempts, and that included a .481 hitting percentage (15 kills, two errors) in the first set and a .400 mark with eight kills and just two errors in the deciding fifth set.
Cole Aiazzi (
Sr.-Yerington, Nev.) had 10 digs to lead the team defensively, while
Jordan Smith (
Sr.-Channahon, Ill.) added 38 assists and nine digs and Robbins added five block assists.
T.J. Esporas led the Duhawks with 16 kills and Blair Anderson notched 15 digs. Loras hit .088 for the match, posting hitting percentages of .250 and .346 in the second and third sets, respectively, but 18 kills to 22 errors in the first, fourth and fifth sets.
Lakeland is home for its next match on Wednesday when Carthage College visits the Moose & Dona Woltzen Gymnasium in MCVL play. First serve time is set for 7 p.m.
