University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point Pointers (4-4 overall)
at Lakeland University Muskies (2-6 overall)
Saturday, February 10, 2024Â Â 6 p.m.
Woltzen Gymnasium
Lakeland/UWSP Match Notes   PDF
The Lakeland University men's volleyball team meets a first-year opponent for the second time already early in the season and aims to avenge an earlier five-set loss when it hosts UW-Stevens Point Saturday night at 6 p.m. at the Moose & Dona Woltzen Gymnasium.
Broadcast Information:
Live video &Â statistics:Â
http://www.lakelandmuskies.com/muskieslive.
Series history:Â 2nd meeting, UW-Stevens Point leads 1-0
UWSP is in its first year with a varsity men's volleyball program and the Muskies and Pointers are already meeting for the second time this season. The first was also the first match for Stevens Point's program, and the Pointers outlasted Lakeland 19-25, 25-23, 21-25, 25-20, 22-20 Jan. 18 in Stevens Point. The teams combined for 44 ties and 13 lead changes over the five sets, with
Ben Busalacchi piling up 28 kills for the Muskies, third-most in a match in program history. The fifth set also was the longest deciding set in Lakeland's 11-year varsity history.
Chase Anderson (52 assists) and
Drew Green (17 digs) also set career highs, while Zach Meyers led UWSP with 14 kills and 13 digs in his first match.
Lakeland last time out: Lost at Olivet Nazarene 3-1 last Saturday
The Muskies concluded their second straight weekend road trip with a loss to the Tigers, falling 25-17, 25-21, 19-25, 25-21 in Bourbonnais, Ill.
Jordan Davis-Troller set a career high with 11 kills but Lakeland was outhit by ONU, which attacked at a .225 rate to the Muskies' .140 mark.
Colin Kenney also posted eight kills,
Eli Weinrich finished with 16 digs and
Chase Anderson posted 28 assists.
Jakob Donohue also finished with four blocks and
Alex Zamora added three assists.
Lakeland went at least four sets for the seventh time in its eight matches this season, including three four-set matches and four five-setters. The Muskies against Olivet Nazarene also faced their sixth first-time opponent of the season. UW-Stevens Point, Illinois Wesleyan, Goshen (Ind.), Trine (Ind.) and Wabash (Ind.) are also all schools that Lakeland played for the first time in men's volleyball already this season.
UW-Stevens Point last time out: Defeated Wisconsin Lutheran 3-0 Tuesday
The Pointers swept the Warriors at home by a 25-21, 25-21, 25-10 count for their second straight win and first ever winning streak in school history. UWSP hit .181 for the match with 29 kills and 12 errors and also added seven blocks and six service aces. Zach Meyers finished with 10 kills, Josh Brogren totaled 22 assists and Andy Sanchez finished with 17 digs.
Competing as an NCAA Division III independent in their first season, the Pointers improved to 3-3 against Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference teams, with wins over WLC, Lakeland and St. Norbert and losses to St. Norbert, Edgewood and Marian. UWSP is the first member of the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference to add men's volleyball as a varsity sport and is playing a 21-match scheduled with every one of its matches in the state of Wisconsin, including 13 matches total against NACC schools.
Busalacchi moving up: Lakeland senior outside hitter
Ben Busalacchi came into the season among the program's career leaders in several categories, and he has been moving up the all-time list for kills. Busalacchi has 150 kills in eight matches and is up to fifth in program history with 662 career kills, 20 short of fourth-place Matt Stolz (2014-17) with 682 kills. Busalacchi also remains No. 2 in service aces with 102, recently becoming the second in program history to top 100 career aces. He is 29 aces short of the career record of 131 set by Cameron Ekum (2018-22). The senior also is 19 digs shy of moving into the top 10 for career digs, with his 322 digs coming up on 10th-place Alec Redlich (341 digs from 2014-15).
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