Lakeland University men's volleyball team took an early punch from nationally ranked Benedictine University, then had its opponent on the defensive but came up just short in a tough five-set loss Friday night at the Moose & Dona Woltzen Gymnasium.
The Eagles came from behind for a 25-16, 15-25, 18-25, 25-22, 15-9 victory in the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference matchup as the Muskies came up just short of its first win this season over a ranked team. Benedictine is ranked ninth in the AVCA/NCAA Division III Top 15 Coaches Poll.
Lakeland (4-6 overall, 2-1 NACC) recovered from a poor start to give the Eagles all they could handle and even had a lead late in the fourth set. The Muskies took it to Benedictine with convincing wins in the second and third sets and rebounded from a 4-0 deficit at the start of the fourth set to lead 16-14.
The Eagles (7-3 overall, 2-0 NACC) fired back after a timeout with three straight points and eventually won the set, leading to the final winner-take-all fifth set. Lakeland fell behind early, though, with Benedictine taking a quick 7-2 lead, though the Muskies rallied back within 9-7. The hosts never got closer, though, and the Eagles finished it off with the final four points to clinch.
Dakota Hunter (
Jr.-Waukesha, Wis.) and
Jarrod Verhamme (
Fr.-Long Beach, Calif.) both had 15 kills each to lead Lakeland, which matched Benedictine with a .195 attack percentage.
Desmond Williams (
Jr.-Riverside, Calif.) also added seven kills, and both Verhamme and Williams had five blocks each.
Addison Mertler (
Jr.-Boca Raton, Fla.) finished with 43 assists and
J.T. Levitt (
Jr.-Schaumburg, Ill.) added a team-best 11 digs.
Adriel Rivas led Benedictine with 13 kills and Markus Riemer finished with 44 assists and 14 digs. The Muskies actually finished with a 9-7 advantage in blocks over the taller Eagles, but Lakeland also had nine blocking errors to just two for the guests.
Lakeland is home again Saturday when it welcomes Aurora University for a conference match at 1 p.m. and then takes on North Central (Ill.) College at 3 p.m. in a non-conference match.
