Men's Volleyball downed Marian 3-0 to open final weekend of games

Fon Du Lac, Wis. - Fontbonne University men's volleyball defeated Marian tonight 25-22, 25-20 and 30-28. The Griffins edged the Sabres in hitting percentage, blocks and aces. Fontbonne is now 14-11 overall and advances to 8-10 in conference.

The Griffins trailed 8-5 in the first set before a 7-1 run gave the visitor's a 12-9 advantage. The Sabres regained the lead briefly (16-15) before Fontbonne earned three straight points and remained on top the remainder of the set.

In the second set, the Griffins held off a hot-hitting Marian squad that recorded a .235 hitting percentage. Fontbonne was down 10-7 before a 6-1 run gave them a two-point advantage. The Griffins never relinquished the lead as they took a 2-0 advantage.

The Sabres didn't go down without a fight. In the third set, neither team led by more than two points. A kill by Tony Pitaro gave the Griffins a 25-24 lead but service errors haunted the squad their next two possessions. Fontbonne closed out the set with a kill by Emir Hadzisalihovic and an attack error by the Sabres. 

Freshman Kyler van Rossum-O'Connell recorded 33 assists, the most this season for a three-set match. He also tallied a team-high five blocks. Junior Stephen Lendy recorded 11 digs to lead the Griffins while Brendon Schwartze added 10 himself. Libero Zach Rothstein recorded 16 digs to lead Fontbonne in the back row. Hadzisalihovic hit .429 on the night while Pitaro hit .600 as her earned three kills on five attempts. 

Fontbonne closes out their 2017 campaign at Lakeland Saturday. First serve is set for 2 p.m.