PLYMOUTH, Wis. – The Lakeland University men's volleyball team earned its first Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference win of the season in emphatic fashion, sweeping Rockford University in three sets Saturday afternoon at the Moose & Dona Woltzen Gymnasium.
The Muskies dominated in all phases in a 25-16, 25-16, 25-15 victory finished in little more than an hour. Lakeland stopped a seven-match losing streak and improved to 7-13 overall and 1-7 in the NACC with four regular season matches remaining.
A match that featured two teams coming in looking for their first conference win was no contest as Lakeland never trailed at any point in the match, with the teams only tied on a total of four occasions early in the second and third sets. The Muskies posted huge advantages in hitting, blocking and service aces in their most fourth three-set win of the season, and most dominant since defeating Maranatha Baptist University 25-14, 25-13, 25-7 in January.
Lakeland gradually kept building throughout on its way to winning the first set, and then used big runs early on the way to winning the second and third sets. A 9-0 run in the second set turned a tie into a 12-3 lead, and the third set included a 7-0 run early and in all scoring 19 of 22 points to take a 21-5 lead.
Eli Weinrich (
Jr.-Mequon, Wis.) finished with seven kills,
Levi Everts (
Sr.-Hartford, Wis.) totaled six kills and
Ben Busalacchi (
Sr.-Muskego, Wis.) added five kills in a balanced hitting attack that produced a .328 hitting percentage with 32 kills and 10 errors in 67 swings.
Busalacchi also added five blocks (one solo, four assisted) and along with
Jordan Davis-Troller (
Jr.-Cottage Grove, Wis.) with the same blocking statistics the two paced Lakeland to a 9-2 advantage in blocks. Busalacchi also added a team-high three service aces.
Chase Anderson (
Jr.-Hartford, Wis.) also finished with four kills in five attacks from the setter spot as well as 20 assists, a team-best seven digs and two block assists.
Jakob Donohue (
Jr.-Milwaukee, Wis.) also added three block assists.
Rockford finished with 20 kills and 21 errors in the match (-.012 hitting percentage) as well as 16 service errors. Isaiah Dixon led the Regents (6-17 overall, 0-9 NACC) with seven kills.
The Muskies go on the road for their next match Tuesday night, traveling to take on Edgewood College at 7 p.m. in Madison.
