Men’s volleyball team comes up short in four-set loss at Adrian

ADRIAN, Mich. – The Olivet College men's volleyball team was defeated by Adrian College in four sets (26-28, 25-17, 25-21, 25-18) in a non-conference match tonight at the Merillat Center in Adrian.

THE BASICS
Final Score: Adrian def. Olivet 26-28, 25-17, 25-21, 25-18
Location: Merillat Center; Adrian, Mich.
Records: Olivet 4-6 overall, Adrian 4-8 overall

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The first set was back-and-forth until the Bulldogs used a 9-1 run to turn a 4-4 deadlock into a 13-5 advantage. The Comets battled back to cut their deficit twice to a single point at 15-14 and 20-19. Olivet then tied the set on six occasions, with the last time being 26-26. Two Adrian attack errors provided the winning points for the Comets.
• Olivet led 3-2 in the second set. The Bulldogs scored the next three points and never trailed for the rest of the set. The eight-point margin at the end of the set, 25-17, was Adrian's largest lead.
• The Bulldogs built a three-point cushion, 7-4, in the third set. The Comets responded with a 5-2 run to level the score at 9-9. From there, neither team led by more than three points until Adrian gained a 19-16 advantage. The Bulldogs pushed their lead to six points, 22-16. Olivet then went on a 5-1 run to trim its deficit to two points before Adrian scored the final two points to win the set 25-21.
• In the fourth set, the Bulldogs used a 7-0 run to convert a one-point lead into an eight-point advantage, 18-10. The Comets were never able to recover from the deficit as Adrian went on to win the set by a 25-18 score.

FOR THE COMETS

• Olivet finished the match with 41 kills, including a team-leading 11 for freshman Karl Deichmann.
• Sophomores Brock Pringle and Trent Robinson had 10 and nine kills, respectively.
• Sophomore Logan Blough led the front row with six blocks, one solo and five assisted.
• Sophomore Aaron Giorgi collected 36 set assists.
• Freshman Tanner Gardenour topped the defense with 12 digs.

FOR THE BULLDOGS

• Noah Marcinkowski recorded a match-high 20 kills.
• Micahel Burkhardt was next with 14 kills, while Kevin Curley had 13.
• Joseph Campana dished out 47 assists.
• Curley and Kyle Bell each had 13 digs.

UP NEXT

• The Comets return to the court next Friday for a home triangular with Hiram (Ohio) College and in-state rival Siena Heights University. Olivet faces Hiram at 4 p.m., followed by Siena Heights playing Hiram and the Comets playing Siena Heights.