Thomas’ record-breaking day leads men’s volleyball team to two wins over Wabash

OLIVET, Mich. – Freshman Deontay Thomas broke two single-match record to lead the Olivet College men's volleyball team to two wins over Midwest Collegiate Volleyball League (MCVL) foe Wabash (Ind.) College today inside the Cutler Event Center. In the second match against the Little Giants, Thomas achieved new school benchmarks for kills (25) and attack attempts (60). Freshman Everett Haynes broke the single-match record for a four-set match with 51 set assists.

Final Scores: Olivet def. Wabash 25-17, 20-25, 25-15, 25-22; Olivet def. Wabash 25-19, 15-25, 26-24, 25-20
Location: Cutler Event Center; Olivet, Michigan
Records: Olivet 3-11 overall, 3-11 MCVL; Wabash 2-14 overall, 2-14 MCVL

• Olivet never trailed in the first set, with the eight-point margin at the end being the largest advantage.
• Wabash scored the first two points of the second set and never looked back.
• The score in the third set was 2-2 before the Comets reeled off five straight points, including two kills each for freshman Kai Hartman and senior Dan Hayes. Olivet held the lead for the rest of the set.
• The Comets raced out to a 3-0 lead in the fourth set. The Little Giants answered with four straight points before two Olivet points made the score 5-4. The teams traded points to make two tied scores at 6-6 and 7-7. Four consecutive points helped the Comets take an 11-7 lead. Wabash would close the gap to a single point twice but was never able to take the lead back.

• Olivet finished the match with 52 kills, with 19 errors on 140 attempts for a .236 attack percentage
• Hayes led the Comets with 15 kills, while hitting at a .345 clip.
• Thomas had 11 kills.
• Freshman Quinn Dickerson tallied 10 kills.
• Haynes posted a double-double, with a game-best 42 set assists and team-high 14 digs.
• Sophomore Dakota Galeazzi registered 13 digs.

• The Little Giants recorded 43 kills, with 29 errors, on 140 attempts for a .100 attack percentage.
• Luke Wallace led all players with 22 kills and 18 digs.
• Ricky Sessions was next with 12 kills.
• Luke Davis dished out 37 set assists.

• The early stages of the first set was back-and-forth. Down 9-6, the Comets used three kills and a Wabash attack error to go up 10-9. The Little Giants came back to take a one-point lead twice. After the last time at 12-11, a kill by Thomas and a service ace by Haynes put Olivet ahead. The Comets did not give up the lead for the rest of the set.
• The only time Wabash trailed in the second set was 1-0.
• The Little Giants built an 11-6 lead in the third set. Olivet trimmed its deficit to a point, 11-10, before three Wabash points made the score 14-10. The Comets scored seven of the next nine points to take their first lead, 17-16. The Little Giants put the next two points on the scoreboard but Olivet answered with three straight for a 20-18 lead. After trading scoring runs, the score was 24-24. Kills by Thomas and freshman Kai Hartman ended the set in Olivet's favor.
• Like the third set, Wabash had the early lead in the fourth set. Following a 4-2 Little Giant lead, three Comet points put them ahead, 5-4. From there, the teams took turns adding points to the scoreboard, resulting in seven tied scores. After the last time at 11-11, three kills by Hartman and a Wabash attack error put Olivet ahead 15-11. The Little Giants came back to even the score at 15-15 and 16-16. A kill by Galeazzi, followed by another kill by Dickerson gave the Comets the lead, and they did not relinquish it for the rest of the set.

• For the match, Olivet totaled 63 kills, with 26 errors on 164 attempts for a .226 attack percentage.
• Thomas slammed down the school-record 25 kills, which was a match-high.
• Hartman added 17 kills.
• Haynes recorded the school-record 51 set assists.
• Galeazzi tallied a team-best 16 digs.

• The Little Giants had 44 kills, with 16 errors on 134 attempts for a .209 hitting percentage.
• Wallace topped the team with 21 kills to go along with a match-high 22 digs.
• Evan Nichols recorded eight kills.
• Davis registered 37 set assists.

• The previous single-match for kills was 20 by Trent Robinson in a five-set match at Adrian College on April 5, 2017. The four-set kills record was 19 by current Olivet head coach Luke DeWitt vs. Adrian on April 2, 2016.
• The overall set assists for a match is 53 by Aaron Giorgi in a five-set match vs. Greenville (Ill.) University on January 26, 2018. The four-set single-match record for set assists was by Giorgi at Adrian on February 2, 2018.

• Olivet wraps-up its season next Saturday and Sunday, March 27-28 against Adrian. Both matches will be at the Cutler Event Center, with Saturday's match starting at 7 p.m. and Sunday's match beginning at 1 p.m.