SANTA CRUZ, Calif. – Nate Vanderwaal (Sr.-Rockford, Ill.) was named to the all-tournament team after the Lakeland University men's volleyball team opened its season out west with a 0-4 mark at the UC Santa Cruz Slug Slam tourney.

The Muskies closed the tourney Saturday with a pair of three-set losses. Lakeland was defeated by Marymount (Va.) University 25-19, 25-21, 25-21 and then fell to host and nationally ranked UC Santa Cruz 25-20, 25-20, 25-20 to wrap up two days of play.

Vanderwaal piled up 24 kills over the final two matches and 46 kills over four matches. He finished with double-digit kills in all four matches on the weekend was the lone Muskie to be selected to the nine-player all-tournament team.

Vanderwaal totaled a season-high 13 kills against Marymount while Matt Misheck (Jr.-Oak Forest, Ill.) also added eight kills plus three service aces. Cameron Ekum (Jr.-Wales, Wis.) also posted 20 assists and Maui Viola (Jr.-Gurnee, Ill.) led Lakeland with six digs.

The Muskies also were competitive against the host Banana Slugs, who were runners up in the 2019 NCAA Division III National Tournament and entered this season ranked eighth in the AVCA/NCAA Division III Top 15 Coaches Poll. The teams were even at 13-13 just past the midway point in the first two sets, and Lakeland trailed just 22-20 late in the third before Santa Cruz closed the match out.

Vanderwall notched 11 kills and both Misheck and Ben Miller (Jr.-Middleton, Wis.) added six kills each. Ekum led the setting with 19 assists and also served four aces, and Miller also finished with a team-high seven digs.

Lakeland next will travel to the Jim Coleman Invitational hosted by Wittenberg (Ohio) University next weekend, with play beginning Friday against Mount St. Joseph (Ohio) University at 3 p.m. in Springfield, Ohio.