Desmond Williams (Sr.-Riverside, Calif.) dominated at the net on offense and defense and the Lakeland University men's volleyball team swept Graceland (Iowa) University in three sets Thursday night in a non-conference match at the Moose & Dona Woltzen Gymnasium.

The Muskies prevailed 25-23, 25-17, 29-27 in the first-ever meeting between the schools, rebounding nicely after a tough five-set loss at MSOE the night before. Lakeland improved to 8-10 overall and moved to 5-3 in non-conference matches this season.

Williams posted a pair of game highs with 12 kills and eight blocks (two solo, six assisted). The senior middle blocker hit .450 for the match with just three errors in 20 attacks, and he also notched a season-high in blocks that was just one off his career high set three years ago in his freshman year.

Lakeland came through at the end of a close first and third sets and pulled away in the middle of the second set with an 11-2 run after trailing 10-9. The match was close most of the night with a total of 33 ties and 12 lead changes, and in particular the third set included 20 ties and five lead changes with neither team ever leading by more than three points.

The Muskies fought off three set points in that third set and then closed it out on their second match point. Appropriately, it ended when Williams and Nathan Vanderwaal (Jr.-Rockford, Ill.) combined for a block to clinch the third set and the match.

Vanderwaal and Dakota Hunter (Sr.-Waukesha, Wis.) both finished with eight kills each and Vanderwaal added two service aces. Lakeland hit .184 as a team with 37 kills and 19 errors in 98 attacks.

Cameron Ekum (So.-Mukwonago, Wis.) finished with 29 assists and also lead the team with eight digs. Matt Misheck (So.-Oak Forest, Ill.) also added five kills, four assisted blocks and two aces, and as a team Lakeland finished with nine blocks.

Jeminae Solomua led Graceland (6-13 overall) with nine kills and also added nine digs. Jonah Poe also finished with nine digs and Brenden Danyluck totaled 25 assists for the Yellowjackets, an NAIA member from Lamoni, Iowa, who played their second of three matches in Wisconsin this week.

Lakeland is home again Saturday when it hosts a triangular with nationally ranked Dominican University and Southern Virginia University. The Muskies will face 15th-ranked Dominican in the first match at 2 p.m. and will also take on seventh-ranked Southern Virginia at 6 p.m. Dominican and Southern Virginia also will face off in a battle of ranked teams at 4 p.m.