Men's Volleyball Can't Get Past Vanguard

COSTA MESA, CA- The Merrimack College men's volleyball team lost to the Vanguard University Lions on Thursday, January 9th in three straight sets despite a valiant effort. 

Rapid Recap

Score: Vanguard 3, Merrimack 0

Records: Vanguard 1-0, Merrimack 0-2


How it Happened 
The first set started out hot, with both teams trading points early on. This momentum would carry both teams through the duration of the opening frame. Merrimack would score four unanswered points in a row in the middle of the set. But shortly after, Vanguard would gain the lead and take it all the way to the end of the set to win round 1 by a score of 25-23.

The second set started with a surge from the Warriors, going up 5-1 and forcing Vanguard to call  a time out. Nick Tidik and Logan Whitaker would team up to record a series of blocks in that frame. In addition, Isaiah Vogel and Kai Vogel would get a pair of kills to preserve Merrimack's lead. The Warriors and the Lions would go back to trading points, getting them to 22 apiece towards the end of the round. It would be Vanguard taking set 2 with another late push by a score of 25-23.

The third set consisted of another back-and-forth tilt. Kasen Owens would provide a spark for the Warriors with some kills of his own throughout the frame. Logan Whitaker would also contribute by making more kills and claim the lead in that category. Both teams were square at 16 until Vanguard went on a roll and ended up winning the third set 25-21.

• Reece Lindstrom tallied a whopping 33 assists.

• Logan Whitaker had himself a night with 15 kills, 17 points, and 27 attacks.

• Kyle Standage recorded the most digs with 7.

• Nick Tidik had the highest hitting percentage on the team (.600) and contributed to a number of blocks.

The Warrior's match against Pepperdine is canceled. Their next game is on January 22nd against Harvard in Cambridge, MA. Game time is set for 7PM ET.