Men's Volleyball: #12 Rivier splits final day in Wisconsin

(Kenosha, Wisconsin) The twelfth ranked Rivier University Men's Volleyball team concluded their brief two-day trip to the Badger State this afternoon with a split of the day's tri-match hosted by Carthage College. The Raiders were victorious in the opener as they topped Loras College in four set before falling in straight sets to Carthage, who is ranked #8 in latest AVCA Coaches Poll.

Game One: #12 Rivier University 3, Loras College 1 (Final)

Returning to action after a tough night, the Raiders responded with a four set win over Loras College in a neutral site contest. Rivier was victorious by scores of 25-21, 23-25, 25-19 and 25-22 to improve to 11-7 overall on the season.

Four Raiders reached the double-digit kill plateau with senior Ian Wolski (Westford, Mass.) leading the way as he hammered down 20 kills and a .395 hitting percentage. Freshman Cam Roth (Coventry, R.I.) swung at a .455 clip on his way to 13 kills. Also collecting 13 kills was junior Grant Andler (Chicago, Ill.) who contributed on the defensive end with 13 digs. Classmate Matt Heckler (Simi Valley, Calif.) chipped in with 10 kills and five total blocks while senior setter Matt LaSance (Madison, Conn.) dished out 57 assists. Junior libero Garrett Bucklin (Jamestown, R.I.) controlled the back line with a match-high 15 digs.

Loras was paced by the efforts of Dylan Ross and Alfredo Lopez, who each totaled 12 kills on the afternoon. Christopher Page was solid along the back line as he picked up a team-high 12 digs and Lopez handed out 18 assists.

Game Two: #8 Carthage College 3, #12 Rivier University 0 (Final)

In a top-fifteen battle, it was the hosts Carthage College who were victorious as they defeated Rivier in straight sets. The loss sends the Raiders into their spring break with an 11-8 overall record while the Red Men improve to 12-1 on the year.

Carthage took care of business with set scores of 25-23, 25-22 and 25-21.

Wolski once again paced the offensive effort as he tallied nine kills and a .368 hitting percentage. Ander also recorded nine winners and LaSance accumulated 29 assists. Bucklin was the dig leader at 8 while both Wolski and sophomore Dashaun Graham (Highland Falls, N.Y.) finished with three total blocks each.

Carthage saw Griffin Sheilds swing at a .458 clip with a match-high 15 kills and Braeden Waumans total 10 kills and a .438 hitting percentage as they won their eleventh straight contest. Matt Reinsel recorded 39 helpers and Marc Hansen controlled the back line with ten digs. Sheilds was also dominate along the net with six total blocks.

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Next up for the Raiders will be a Great Northeast Athletic Conference contest against Emerson College inside the friendly confines of the Muldoon Gymnasium on Thursday, March 16th.