Benedictine University Eagles (2-7 overall, 0-2 NACC)
at Lakeland University Muskies (6-13 overall, 1-6 NACC)
Friday, March 24, 2023Â Â 6 p.m.
Woltzen Gymnasium
Lakeland/Benedictine Match Notes   PDF
The Lakeland University men's volleyball team enters the final five matches of its season with a date with the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference leaders when it hosts Benedictine University Friday night at 6 p.m.
Broadcast Information:
Live video and live statistics:Â
http://www.lakelandmuskies.com/muskieslive
Series history:Â 13th meeting, Benedictine leads 8-4
The series between the Muskies and Eagles has been a tale of two winning streaks, as Lakeland won the first four meetings prior to Benedictine claiming the last eight. The two teams met March 18 of last season with the Eagles cruising to a 25-11, 25-17, 25-19 win. Benedictine also won the teams' last matchup at the Moose & Dona Woltzen Gymnasium, a 25-15, 25-17, 25-23 victory March 12, 2021, when the Eagles were ranked sixth nationally in NCAA Division III. Lakeland's last win over Benedictine was a four-set victory on April 2, 2016, that completed a sweep of the Eagles that season. The teams first met over eight years ago, when the Muskies scored a 3-0 win on the road in Lisle, Ill., on Feb. 14, 2015.
Lakeland last time out: Lost at Marian 3-0 Wednesday
The Muskies had a short and tough night in Fond du Lac, falling to the Sabres 25-15, 25-17, 25-8 in a Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference bout. Marian hit a robust .500 for the match with 42 kills and just five errors in 74 attack attempts, including substantial runs of consecutive points in all three sets. Lakeland did not have the firepower to counter, hitting just .027 with 21 kills and 19 errors.
Ben Busalacchi posted six kills,
Hunter Henson added five kills and four digs,
Tim Matijevic contributed four kills and
Chase Anderson added 12 assists and four digs. The Muskies lost their second straight and for the seventh time in their last nine matches.
Benedictine last time out: Defeated Dominican 3-1 last Saturday
The Eagles have had a break since last Saturday when they stayed hot with their seventh straight win, defeating the Stars in four sets, 25-19, 25-17, 23-25, 25-13. Martin Radomski carried the offense with 18 kills and just three errors in 32 swings (.469 hitting percentage) and Sanchit Khaitan led Benedictine with 35 assists and 12 digs. Mason Hayes also added five blocks. The Eagles hit .245 for the match, well ahead of Dominican's .075 rate, and remained undefeated in the NACC.
About the Eagles: Benedictine enters as the conference leaders, the only team with an undefeated record as teams hit the backstretch of the league loop. The Eagles won four of their first five matches to start the season before a five-match losing streak, with all five losses coming to teams that are or have been ranked in the AVCA/NCAA Division III Top 15 Coaches Poll this season. Benedictine also has a first-year coach in Ron Katarzynski, who came over after coaching at Concordia Chicago last year and took over under tragic circumstances, following the sudden passing of head coach Christian Staple in July.
Â
