WEST DES MOINES, Iowa -- The Vanguard University men's volleyball team started its NAIA National Tournament run on Tuesday against Campbellsville.  Everything seemed to be going well at the start but the wheels fell off the bus after set one, as the Tigers swept sets two through four to claim an upset victory.  The Lions lost in set scores of 25-22, 20-25, 20-25, and 17-25.  Vanguard drops to 16-7 overall and now need a favorable result tomorrow from William Penn to stay alive in the tournament.

What Happened? 

Set 1: The Lions got the first point of the game on a kill from Matthew Roussin (SR/Anaheim Hills, CA) but a service error got CU on the board.  The Tigers then put up two quick points to take a 3-1 lead, but Vanguard soon found its form.  Bryce Thompson (SR/Los Alamitos, CA) got an ace to start a long run from the service line, with Kills from Kyle Anema (SR/La Mirada, CA) and Cody Watts (JR/Clovis, CA) helping to increase the advantage.  The huge -3 run put VU ahead 11-4 to force Campbellsville to take a timeout. 

The teams then exchanged some points but CU slowly closed the gap to 13-10.  But kills from Roussin and Anema put the Lions ahead 15-10 to force the Tigers to call their final timeout.  However, the CU once more got hot out of the break, bringing the gap to 18-16 in VU's favor.  The Lions then took a few miscues from the Tigers to take a 22-18 lead but back-to-back errors made it 22-20.  The next point went to Campbellsville as well, with the Lions taking a timeout to try a quick reset.  A blocking error gave the ball back to VU and a kill from Roussin and a combo block by Thompson and Anema gave Vanguard set one 25-22.  VU hit .217 and the Tigers hit .114 in the first frame.

Set 2:  The Tigers got the first two points of the set but the Blue and Gold found a way to get on the board after a scrappy rally.  Unfortunately, Campbellsville started digging everything, getting four unanswered to take a 5-1 lead before Anema got Vanguard back on the board.  The deficit soon increased to 7-3 before Watts got a point for Vanguard off a net violation.  Yet the Tigers continued to stay ahead, with VU calling a timeout down 9-4.

But nothing could really stem the tide, as the Lions trailed by at least five for the entire set, with the Tigers eventually going up 21-14.  A short run by VU made it 22-17 but Campbellsville kept its composure and took set two 25-20.  VU hit -.037 in the period while the Tigers hit .250.

Set 3:  The Tigers got the first two points of the third frame but a solid strike by Glen Linden (SO/Newport Beach, CA) made it 2-1.  VU got successive kills from Anema and Roussin to make it 4-3 CU but the Tigers kept a step ahead early on.  Vanguard had some problems from the service line but the squad eventually tied the match at nine-all off an attack error.

Campbellsville once more picked up a couple of points but Linden and Roussin ended long rallies with kills for Vanguard, with a mistake by CU causing them to call a timeout with the match knotted at 12-12.  But it would be the Blue and Gold who would have to take the next timeout after four of the following five points went to Campbellsville.

The Lions came back to within one off a block and then an ace from Roussin, but the Tigers again snuck out to a three-point lead at 20-17.  Down 23-19, Anema made an apt touch on an attack to send the ball to the floor and make it 23-20.  But that would be the final bright spot in the second, as Campbellsville snagged set two 25-20.  CU hit .406 to VU's .200.

Set 4:  The Lions again went down to start the set but a kill and an ace from Watts leveled the score at 2-2.  A pair of long rallies then went in favor of the Tigers to give them a 4-2 edge.  Down 6-2, the Lions called a timeout looking for a way to turn around the negative energy. 

The team did get the next point but soon trailed 8-4 before a slam by Roussin stopped the flow of points for the Tigers.  But it would not last for long, as Campbellsville grabbed the next few points to stay ahead 10-5.  A big swing by Watts got VU to within three again at 12-9 but the Tigers got the next two points to escape once more.  Finding some willpower to mount a charge, the Lions came back with three straight to make the score 14-12.  Yet that positive movement would be checked by a 3-0 run by the Tigers to turn the screw on VU's chances in the fourth. 

The Tigers were soon up 21-15 and then 23-16.  Vanguard did their best with a big throwdown by Watts but Campbellsville completed the upset with a 25-17 win in set four.  VU hit .000 in the final frame while the Tigers hit .385.

For the match, the Lions hit .114, with 39 kills and 26 errors.  CU had 58 kills and 19 errors for a .325 hitting percentage.  The Tigers claimed a 54-34 margin in assists and each team had 35 digs.  VU had five aces and 10 service errors, while Campbellsville had three aces and 15 service errors.  The Tigers did have a big lead in blocks, totaling 26 while Vanguard could only muster 12 total blocks.

Roussin had 17 kills to lead the Blue and Gold, with Anema next with eight.  Thompson had 34 assists and Cameron Way (SR/Dana Point, CA) paced the lineup with 11 digs.  Roussin also had seven digs to land second in the team in that department.  Four Tigers ended up in double-figures for kills.

What was Said?  "We played a team that did some things extremely well that created problems for us," said Head Coach Brad Rostratter.  "This is a resilient group and we are excited to respond on Thursday!"

What's Next?  The Lions become the biggest William Penn fans in Des Moines, as they need the Statesmen to beat Campbellsville tomorrow.  If WPU does that, the Lions then need to beat the Statesmen to force a mini playoff on Friday morning for a shot at advancing.  If Campbellsville wins tomorrow, the game between WPU and VU will be only for honor and glory.