DES MOINES, Iowa - The Vanguard University Men's Volleyball team (11-3) opened pool play against Indiana Tech (17-6) at the NAIA Men's Volleyball 2021 National Championship. The Lions steamrolled the Warriors in the first set 25-12 as they recorded a hitting percentage of .611 before taking the next two sets by scores of 25-19 and 25-20. With the dominant win, the Lions also set the new championship record for hitting percentage, surpassing Benedictine Mesa (Ariz.) who set the record the day before with a .383 hitting percentage.
What Happened? Neither team could create much separation early on in the first set before a service error by the Warriors would tie things up at seven. From that point, the Lions would go on a 10-2 run fueled by three kills by Kyle Anema and back-to-back service aces by Bryce Thompson to force a timeout by the Warriors. The Pride did not take their foot off the gas as they took the first set by a score of 25-12.
Indiana Tech started to shake off their tournament nerves and hung tough with the Lions early in the second set, but the pair of Anema and Matthew Roussin continued to tear apart Tech's defense. The Warriors were unable to cut the Pride's lead to smaller than three points down the stretch as the Blue and Gold took a commanding two-set lead. In the third set, both teams traded blows before Vanguard went on a 6-2 run to go up 12-7. Christan Nowtash and Roussin would pace the Lions' offense while the defense held Indiana Tech to a .130 hitting percentage in the third and final set to earn the sweep.
Why It's Important? The Lions would tie their fourth-highest hitting percentage in the history of the program as they finished with a .436 hitting percentage after hitting .611 in the first set and .516 in the second set. With the dominant win, the Lions also set the new championship record for hitting percentage, surpassing Benedictine Mesa (Ariz.) who set the record the day before with a .383 hitting percentage.
Top Performers: Kyle Anema and Matthew Roussin were dominant on the outside as they both recorded 13 kills while hitting over .400. Christian Nowtash was a force in the middle as he converted seven of his nine attacks for a .556 hitting percentage to go with four total blocks. Bryce Thompson dished out 34 assists, recorded a team-high seven digs, and overwhelmed the Warriors with a powerful serve as he recorded three service aces. Filippo Meoni rounded out things with five kills and six digs.
What They Said: "I think that we were very consistent with our hitting today. Bryce was finding all the open spots and making it easier for us as a team," said Matthew Roussin. "Our back row defense was extremely good as well as our front row blocking. We showed a lot of fire and energy which made it even easier for everything to go our way."
What's Next: On Thursday, April 22nd, the Lions will take on third-ranked Campbellsville University at 8:00 am PST.
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