Springfield, OH – The Wittenberg University men's volleyball team hosted the University of Mount Union Raiders from Pam Evans Smith Arena, falling to the Raiders in five sets for the second time this season 3-2 (14-25, 21-25, 25-17, 25-21, 11-15). Wittenberg was led by Jackson Tyler on the night, putting down 22 kills on 56 total attack attempts for a .196 hitting percentage, adding seven digs. Collin Buelow was the second Tiger with double-digit kills, recording a .273 hitting percentage, posting two blocks with 12 digs. Dominic Melchiorre tallied a team-high .421 kill marker with nine kills on 19 total swings to go along with four blocks.

Match Breakdown

The Tigers dropped the first set 25-14 to the Raiders, picking up 7 kills on 29 total attacks. Tyler led the Wittenberg offense in the first set with four kills, logging a .154 hitting percentage. Noah Wissel helped get the Tiger offense going with six of his 49 total assists in the first set. The two sides kept the battle going in the second set as Wittenberg kept it close, as the Tigers fought back to within two down the stretch with Mount Union holding a 20-18 lead over the Tigers. Tyler brought Wittenberg within one putting down a kill, making the score 20-19. The Tigers were rallying in the second, putting together a .056 hitting percentage with 11 kills on 36 total attacks. Mount Union survived the Tiger attack by taking a two-set lead with a second set win at 25-21. Wittenberg made a comeback in the third set jumping out a quick 7-4 advantage after back-to-back errors by the Raiders. The Tigers kept the pressure on holding a 21-13 advantage during the Melchiorre service rally. Wittenberg finished off the rally taking the third set 25-17 with a kill coming from Buelow. Wittenberg wasn't done yet, keeping their foot down, while jumping out to a quick 10-7 advantage over the Raiders in the fourth set. The two sides traded points as the score flashed tied multiple times before the Tigers extended their advantage out to 24-20 during the Cameron Menini rally. Tyler put down the final kill for the Tigers, forcing the fifth set as Wittenberg took the fourth by a final score of 25-21. Wittenberg was forced to battle back in the fifth set, knotting the match up at 3-3, having forced a Mount Union error. The two sides went back and forth before Wittenberg was able to regain the lead at 5-4 off the Raiders service error. After the final set flashed tied at 7-7, Mount Union put together one final rally to take the final set 15-11.

UP NEXT

Wittenberg will hit the road this weekend, traveling to Geneva on Friday, Feb. 21 for a 7:00 PM matchup with the Golden Tornados.