WAUWATOSA, Wis. – Ben Busalacchi (Jr.-Muskego, Wis.) delivered 13 kills and accounted for five of the Lakeland University men's volleyball team's 17 service aces in a three-set win over Wisconsin Lutheran College to cap a 1-1 day at a triangular hosted by WLC Sunday.

The Muskies defeated the host Warriors 25-21, 25-23, 25-20 to finish with a split of their two matches. Lakeland earlier faced nationally ranked UC Santa Cruz and pushed the Banana Slugs to four sets before falling 25-17, 21-25, 25-22, 25-13.

The Muskies (4-6 overall) defeated Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference rival Wisconsin Lutheran (3-5 overall) in a non-conference match between the two teams. Lakeland held control in the first and third sets but needed a last-ditch rally to escape in the second set.

Lutheran had emerged with three straight points late to take a 23-20 lead in the second set, but the Muskies came back with five straight points to steal the set. Busalacchi and Colin Kenney (Jr.-Shorewood, Wis.) posted kills and Chase Anderson (Fr.-Hartford, Wis.) served back-to-back aces to get to set point, where a WLC attack error closed it out.

Eli Weinrich (Fr.-Mequon, Wis.) also contributed a season-high seven kills plus four service aces and a team-high six digs. Anderson finished with 26 assists and three aces and Levi Everts (So.-Hartford, Wis.) added four kills and three aces. Lakeland's 17 aces were the second-most in a match in the program's 10-year varsity history, behind only its 23 aces also against Wisconsin Lutheran Feb. 25, 2021.

The Muskies faced a tough task in their early match against UC Santa Cruz, ranked 10th in the latest NVA/AVCA NCAA Division III Top 15 Coaches Poll. The Banana Slugs (12-3 overall) hit .393 or better in each of the three sets they won, but cooled off enough in the second set for Lakeland to even the match at 1-1.

The Muskies trailed 15-13 in the second set but scored four straight points to take the lead. The teams were tied against at 18-18 but Lakeland finished on a 7-3 run, including three kills from Weinrich, an ace from Jakob Donohue (Fr.-Shorewood, Wis.) and a kill by Kenney on the second set point.

Busalacchi posted 10 kills, Everts added nine and Kenney finished with seven kills as the Muskies hit .128 with 35 kills and 23 errors. Anderson posted 17 assists and Martin Carrillo (Sr.-Michoacan, Mexico) added 14 assists.

Trevor Jackson led UC Santa Cruz with 12 kills without an error in 18 attacks for a .667 hitting percentage. The Banana Slugs hit .323 as a team with 46 kills and 16 errors, and Lakeland dropped to 0-10 all-time against its frequent West Coast opponent, which travels from California to the Midwest many years to play matches.

The Muskies next will face Bryant & Stratton College Thursday at 7 p.m. for what officially counts as an exhibition against the two-year school. Lakeland's next regular season match is Friday, Feb. 17 when it hosts Concordia University Chicago for its NACC opener at 6 p.m. at the Moose & Dona Woltzen Gymnasium.