ANGOLA, Ind. – Levi Everts (Jr.-Hartford, Wis.) registered eight of his career-high 18 kills in the fourth set to help the Lakeland University men's volleyball team stay alive in the match, and the Muskies defeated Trine (Ind.) University in five sets Sunday afternoon in a non-conference match.

Lakeland fought off two match points to win an extra-long fourth set and went on to complete a comeback from a 2-1 deficit for a 15-25, 25-21, 19-25, 28-26, 15-9 victory. The Muskies played their third five-setter in six matches this season and won one for the first time, improving to 2-4 overall.

Lakeland won the first-ever men's volleyball meeting between the schools, a match that included momentum swings by set and sometimes within sets.

The Muskies appeared in good shape in the fourth set with an 18-12 lead after a Trine (3-2 overall) service error, but the host Thunder came back with five straight points. Trine was the first team to get to 24 points in the set, and had match points at 24-23 and 25-24 that Lakeland fought off. The Muskies then reached set point at 26-25 and again 27-26 after kills by Everts, and finally cashed in with a kill from Ben Busalacchi (Sr.-Muskego, Wis.).

The teams were even through the first eight points of the fifth set, tied at 4-4 before Lakeland made its move with five straight points, the last from Busalacchi making it 9-4. The Muskies would hold the point from there with the Thunder getting no closer than four points the rest of the way, and Everts finally ended it with a kill on the second match point to close it out.

The Muskies fell behind 10-1 to start the match and never seriously challenged in the first set, but rebounded to take an early lead in the second set and then finish the set strong. Alex Zamora (Sr.-Plainfield, Ill.) served back-to-back aces as part of a four-point run to go ahead 20-17, and Lakeland won the second set to tie the match at 1-1 before Trine came back to never trail in winning the third.

Busalacchi posted 22 kills with just six errors in 40 attacks for a .400 hitting percentage and Everts added 18 kills plus 12 digs and four blocks (two solo, two assisted). Jordan Davis-Troller (So.-Cottage Grove, Wis.) also added eight kills and three assisted blocks.

Eli Weinrich (So.-Mequon, Wis.) also added a career-high 26 digs, the third-most in a match in Lakeland's varsity history. Chase Anderson (So.-Hartford, Wis.) finished with 46 assists, Jakob Donohue (So.-Shorewood, Wis.) posted five blocks (one solo, four assisted) and Zamora added three service aces. Colin Kenney (Sr.-Shorewood, Wis.) also chipped in 12 digs.

Ted Hofmeister led Trine with 22 kills plus 14 digs. Kevin Boncaro added 16 kills and 14 digs.

Lakeland returns to Indiana for its next match this Friday when it travels to face Wabash (Ind.) College at 6 p.m. Central time in Crawfordsville, Ind.