The Lakeland University men's volleyball team faces a tough task in ending its conference losing skid when it hosts Benedictine University Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m. at the Moose & Dona Woltzen Gymnasium.
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 ten. The two teams met last exactly one year ago, with the Eagles posting a 25-15, 25-17, 25-23 sweep at home in Lisle, Ill. Benedictine also won the last time the teams played at the Moose & Dona Woltzen Gymnasium with a 25-13, 25-11, 25-23 victory March 24, 2023. 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 10 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 to St. Norbert 3-1 Wednesday
The Muskies started slow and couldn't catch back up in a 25-19, 25-10, 18-25, 25-21 loss to the Green Knights earlier this week. Lakeland dropped a close first set and then fell way behind in an ugly second set before firing up and winning the third set. The Muskies were unable to match that play in the fourth set, though, and dropped their fourth straight match in Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference play.
Sage Xiong finished with 11 kills and
Jakob Donohue added eight kills,
Ben Busalacchi and
Eli Weinrich both finished with eight digs and
Jordan Davis-Troller added three block assists. Busalacchi also addes six kills, and he needs five kills to become the first Muskie to reach 1,000 kills.
Benedictine last time out: Won at St. Norbert 3-0 last Saturday
The Eagles have been off this week, not playing since taking on the Green Knights on the road in a NACC match a week ago today. Benedictine won a nailbiter first set and eventually swept the match 30-28, 25-22, 25-19. St. Norbert had four set points in the opening set but couldn't close it out and Benedictine heated up from there to close out the sweep. Cooper Armstrong led the Eagles with eight kills and five blocks, Eion O'Toole totaled six kills plus seven block assists and Spencer VanEngen added 19 assists, nine digs and three block assists. Benedictine finished the match with 12 team blocks, its ninth match this season with at least 11 blocks.
About the Eagles: Benedictine is 9-6 overall but is 4-0 in the NACC, and of its six losses, five have come against teams nationally ranked at the time of playing and still now in the AVCA NCAA Division III Top 20 Coaches Poll. The Eagles finished 15-10 a year ago but 10-2 to place third in the NACC, though Benedictine was surprised by No. 6 seed Illinois Tech in the first round of the NACC Tournament. Two years ago the Eagles won the NACC regular season and tournament championships and advanced to the Division III Tournament, and Benedictine has finished in the top three in the NACC in each of the conference's first seven seasons sponsoring men's volleyball.
