CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa -- Vanguard men's volleyball reminded the NAIA National Tournament field that they are primed to defend their 2023 title in an emphatic 3-0 victory over Lawrence Tech (Mich.) today.  Will Anderson tallied 14 kills and VU hit .397 as a team, holding the Blue Devils to a -.016 rate in the match.  The Lions go to 15-3 on the year and are in the driver's seat in Pool B.  Lawrence Tech dips to 15-15. 
 
What Happened?  The Blue and Gold bashed LTU in the first set, as the duo of Will Anderson and Ryan Smith looked sharp in combining for the two kills before Smith landed the first ace of the game to put the early lead at 3-0.  Anderson was joined by Micah Sybesma in collecting kills as the VU lead reached 10-2 despite a timeout from LTU.  The Blue Devils could never gain much traction in the set, as they scored only two points in a row twice.  Otherwise, Vanguard was in control and a kill by Andrew Sheveland capped the set in Vanguard's favor 25-14.  VU hit .474 in the first, with 12 kills and three errors on 19 attempts.  LTU hit -.167, with five kills and eight errors on 18 attempts.
 
Set 2
Lawrence Tech came out of the break with more energy, as the squad equaled the Lions over the opening 10 rallies.  Tied at 5-5, Anderson thumped down a kill and a block by Smith and Glen Linden III extended the edge to 7-5.  That started a 5-2 stretch that saw Anderson, Sybesma, and Sheveland all land kills, with an ace from Smith forcing the Blue Devils to take a timeout.  Ahead 12-7, the Lions continued to pour it on, taking that advantage and pushing it to 18-10, as the 8-3 run forced LTU to take its second timeout.  Though Lawrence Tech scored seven more points, they never threatened the VU lead, as the Lions took set two 25-14 off a Sybesma strike.  VU hit a match-best .500, with 15 kills and three errors on 24 attempts.  The Blue Devils had six kills and six errors in 21 attempts.
 
Set 3
Backed into a tight spot, the Blue Devils tried their best to scare the Blue and Gold in the third by starting the period off with an 8-3 stretch that forced VU to take a timeout.  The break settled the Vanguard lineup, as the squad ripped off a 10-0 hot streak after that to claim a 13-8 lead, with Anderson and Reza Tahmasebi notching kills.  The pair of Tahmasebi and Linden III made two blocks during the run and Linden III was joined by Smith on another rejection.  The VU lead remained steady at around three or four points until a 3-0 run by LTU made the contest close at 19-18.  Linden III then lashed down a kill and an ace by Anderson put the lead back to three at 21-18.  The Blue Devils scored three more points in all, as VU closed out the set and the match with a kill by Anderson to win 25-21.  Vanguard hit .267 in the third, with 13 kills and five errors.  LTU had eight kills ad six errors for a .091 rating. 
 
For the match, VU had a 40-19 edge in kills, a 10-0 lead in aces, a slim 20-19 advantage in digs, and a 19-8 lead in block assists.  Anderson led all players with 14 kills, netting him a .385 attack percentage for the match.  He also had a game-high six service aces, tying his career-high which was against The Master's at home this year on February 24.  Both Sheveland and Sybesma tallied seven kills, with Tahmasebi next with five.  Smith had two aces and 33 assists, as all but three VU kills had helpers in the contest.  Leilua Kruse led all players with eight digs and Linden III paced VU with eight block assists.  Tahmasebi was next with five.
 
Why is it Important?  The Lions now have a win and a sweep in Pool B and need to beat Georgetown to secure a spot in the bracket.  The sweep also helps with potential tiebreakers to determine who advances if all three teams are tied at the end of Thursday.
 
What was Said?  Said Head Coach Brian Rofer after the game, "In this championship tournament, as a high seed, it is always good to get that opening match win.  I am really happy with the way our guys competed today.  We have seniors on our team that definitely have the experience of being on the big stage and that showed today.  We've been struggling a bit with our serving, but it looks like we're back on track.  I'm really excited to see what our guys are going to do this week."
 
What's Next?  The Lions play Georgetown on Thursday at 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time.