Men’s volleyball team opens season with two losses at Michigan Volleyball Invitational

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The Olivet College men's volleyball team opened the 2020 season with two losses at the Michigan Men's Volleyball Invitational, hosted by Aquinas College and played at the Sturrus Sports & Fitness Center in Grand Rapids. The Comets lost in three sets to Siena Heights University and the host Saints.

Final Score: Siena Heights def. Olivet 25-22, 25-16, 25-17
Location: Sturrus Sports & Fitness Center; Grand Rapids, Michigan
Records: Olivet 0-1 overall, Siena Heights 1-0 overall

• The first set was back-and-forth, as neither team led by more than three points for the duration of it.
• In the second set, the Saints scored the first three points. The Comets fought back and tied the set three times. After the last time at 9-9, Siena Heights put three straight points on the scoreboard. Olivet scored the next point but would not get any closer for the remainder of the set.
• The Comet held a 1-0 and 2-1 lead in the third set. The Saints leveled the score at 3-3, 4-4 and 5-5. A service error put Siena Heights up by one point and it did not relinquish the advantage for the rest of the set.   

• Olivet totaled 35 kills in the match and had a .105 attack percentage.
• In his Comet debut, freshman Aaron Smith recorded a team-best nine kills.
• Seniors Deivan Prince and Brock Pringle each had eight kills.
• Senior Aaron Giorgi registered a team-best 32 set assists and 11 digs.

• Bryce Johnson had a match-best 12 kills.
• Keegan Crawford dished out 26 set assists.
• Emilier De Jesus tallied a team-best 10 digs.

Final Score: Aquinas def. Olivet 25-5, 25-23, 25-11
Location: Sturrus Sports & Fitness Center; Grand Rapids, Michigan
Records: Olivet 0-2 overall, Aquinas 1-0 overall

• The Saints, ranked No. 6 in the preseason NAIA poll, had no trouble winning the first set, as they had seven kills on eight attempts, and recorded nine service aces. Olivet had three kills with seven attack errors.
• The Comets scored the four of the first five points of the second set. Aquinas chipped away at its deficit and tied the set at 11-11. The teams exchanged 3-0 runs to create another tied score at 14-14. A service error put Olivet ahead before the Saints scored two straight points to take their first lead in the set, 16-15. The Comets responded with 5-1 scoring spurt to gain a three-point cushion, 20-17. Aquinas answered with four straight points to regain the lead. After trading points to create a pair of tied scores at 21-21 and 22-22, two points made the score 24-22 in favor of the Saints. Olivet saved one set point but a Saint kill ended the set.
• Aquinas scored the first four points of the third set and never looked back. The 14-point margin at the end was the Saints' largest lead in the set.

• Smith recorded a team-best seven kills and .158 hitting percentage.
• Prince was next with four kills to go along with a team-best six digs.
• Giorgi had 17 set assists.

• Joshua Boothroyd led the team with eight kills and six digs.
• Colby Elder finished with 26 set assists.

• Olivet heads back to Grand Rapids Sunday for the second day of the Michigan Men's Volleyball Invitational. The Comets play Lawrence Technological Institute at 10 a.m., followed by a match against Adrian College at 4 p.m. The matches were originally scheduled to be played tomorrow but impending weather has forced the postponement to Sunday.