The #9 Aquinas men's volleyball team moved to 2-0 in WHAC play on Saturday afternoon (Jan. 25), as the Saints earned a 3-0 home sweep over the visiting Goshen Maple Leafs. AQ made quick work of its WHAC counterpart, defeating Goshen in straight sets by scores of 25-18, 25-19, and 25-23.

Aquinas moves to 5-1 overall in 2020 and the Saints are 2-0 in conference action, after defeating Siena Heights in five sets just three days ago. Goshen drops to 1-2 on the season and 1-1 in league play.

The Saints were solid offensively and played well on defense against the Maple Leafs. AQ hit .230 with 35 kills in the win and while Goshen did total 30 kills, the Maple Leafs committed 24 errors and hit just .074. Aquinas posted a 12-5 edge in blocks and a 7-2 advantage in aces, while Goshen was on top in digs, 29-24.

Will Donald put up a team-high nine kills and hit .400, while adding five block assists. Zane Moothart supplied eight kills and a .357 hitting percentage, while adding four digs, three block assists, and three service aces. Ruben Lopez delivered seven kills and three blocks.

Joshua Boothroyd provided five kills, three digs, an ace, and a solo block, while Robert Valerio totaled five blocks (one solo) and three kills. Colby Elder passed for 29 assists and added five digs and three block assists.

Aquinas jumped out to an early 8-1 lead in the first set, with Donald and Elder posting back-to-back blocks before Lopez put down a kill. The teams basically traded points the rest of the set, with the Saints prevailing 25-18.

Set two was more competitive and was 18-16 in AQ's favor before a Goshen service error and a Lopez ace. Donald added a kill a few points later, followed by an ace from Moothart to make it 23-18. Lopez ended the set at 25-19 with a kill.

Goshen led the third set 7-3 before the Saints rallied to tie the score at 7-all. Aquinas led 13-12 and put together a huge 9-0 run which featured kills from Moothart, Boothroyd, and Daniel Soliz, along with a Valerio solo block, a Donald ace, and a Donald-Lopez combined rejection. The Maple Leafs made a late run, but Valerio and Moothart combined on a block to win the set and clinch the match.

Aquinas heads to Des Moines, Iowa next weekend (Jan. 31-Feb. 1) for the Molten Invitational, where the Saints will face Culver-Stockton, #1 Grand View, and #4 Missouri Baptist.