ST. LOUIS, Mo. – The Baldwin Wallace University men's volleyball team faced last year's Midwest College Volleyball League Regular Season Champions, Fontbonne (Mo.) University, for a conference matchup on Dr. Lee McKinney Court inside of the Mabee Gymnasium. The Yellow Jackets topped the Griffins in straight sets by set scores of 25-19, 25-22, and 25-20.
BW (22-7, 5-1 MCVL) was led by sophomore right side hitter Michael Devlin (Zelienople, Pa./Seneca Valley) as he tallied a match-high 12 kills and added nine digs. Junior setter Brandon Long (Hinckley/Metea Valley, Ill.) dished out 33 assists and notched six digs.
Fontbonne (12-11, 2-4 MCVL) was led by sophomore middle hitter Logan Irby as he notched a team-high nine kills with no errors, hitting .818 on the day.
1st Set
- A kill by junior outside hitter Nick Irelan (Powell/Olentangy Liberty) put BW in control in the first, up 15-9 to force the home team to a timeout
- With BW up 17-10, Fontbonne score four unanswered points to force BW to talk things over
- Out of the break, the Yellow Jackets outscored the Griffins 4-1 to earn the 21-15 and cause Fontbonne to take its second timeout
- BW closed set one (25-19) on an ace by freshman middle hitter Colby Whiteside (Powell/Olentangy Liberty)
2nd Set
- The Yellow Jackets earned the early 7-4 lead to start set two
- The Griffins worked their way back to take an 11-9 lead, but after back-to-back service aces by Beard, Fontbonne had to spend its second timeout of the set (13-11 BW)
- Going back-and-forth, BW got in a groove late in the game, and with four straight kills the Yellow Jackets went up 23-18
- A kill by Irelan claimed set two, 25-22
3rd Set
- Fontbonne called its first timeout of set three, trailing 14-10
- BW went up 18-12 with a kill by Whiteside
- The Yellow Jackets spent their first timeout after the Griffins rattled off four straight points
- Fontbonne was forced to take its second timeout of the game after a kill by Whiteside put BW up 20-17
- BW went on to outscore the Griffins 5-3 to close set three (25-20) and the match (3-0)
The Yellow Jackets return to the hardwood Sunday, April 2 as the team remains on the road, facing Wabash (Ind.) College. The MCVL matchup will start at 2:00 p.m. EST on the Chadwick Court.