Box Score Location: Cincinnati, OH (Harrington Center Gym)
The Basics:
The Lions were able to come back to win three straight sets after losing the first to Loras. The Lions were led by Senior captain Alex Vohland (West Chester, OH/ Lakota West), as they won their second straight conference game of the weekend. This improves the Lions record to 6-1 overall and 2-0 in the MCVL.
How it happened:
The first set showed the intensity of this matchup. Both teams weren't giving up any ground as the score stayed close. Loras began to separate from the Lions to take a comfortable lead after some mistakes from the Lions hitters. Mount St. Joseph struggled to catch a feel for the game and lost the set to Loras 25-18.
The Lions looked a lot better in their second set. Passing was a lot crisper and the Lions seemed to be catching the momentum as their explosive offense did their job. Mount St. Joseph controlled the whole set being up 18-8 at one point. They were able to finish the set with a win 25-12 to tie up the series 1-1.
The pivotal third set was intense as both teams were looking to take the 2-1 lead and control of the match. This set was back and forth, with multiple lead changes and momentum swings. Loras put the pressure on the Lions by controlling the lead for most of the match. The Lions stayed close behind and were able to tie it up at 20-20 towards the end of the set. Coming out of a time out by Loras, Alex Vohland was able to record two much needed kills to put the lions ahead 24-20. The Lions finished the set with a win 25-22 to give them the 2-1 lead.
Going into the fourth set, Loras looked to stay in it. The set stayed close, with both teams pushing themselves to the limit. The teams were tied 21-21 near the end of the set when Mount St. Joseph's big hitters came out to finish the game. Three consecutive kills from the Lions coming from Alex Vohland, Ben Holt (Cincinnati, OH/ Roger Bacon), and Kevin Siemer (Cincinnati, OH/ Elder) put them in front and ultimately gave them the win 25-21. This gave the Lions the win for the match 3-1.
Standouts:
Alex Vohland lead the team in kills with 18 on 34 attempts to finish with a .500 kill percentage. The Lions defense was also amazing as Zach Kuebler (Columbus, OH/ Hilliard Darby) was able to record 13 digs including a highlight diving dig in the third set to helps secure the conference win.
Up Next:
Mount St. Joseph will travel to Naperville, IL on 2/11 to take on North Central at 11:00 AM. The next home game for the Lions will be 2/24 in the Harrington Center Gym as the Lions take on ranked Nazareth at 2:00 PM.
