The (RV) AQ Saints men's volleyball team started off their season with a bang, winning both matches today (Jan. 14) at Mol Arena in Grand Rapids. The Saints opened their doubleheader with a 3-0 sweep over the Cumberland University Phoenix. They followed up that impressive performance with a 3-2 back-and-forth victory over the Olivet Nazarene Tigers.
In the first match of the day, (RV) Aquinas came out of the gates strong and didn't look back. AQ topped Cumberland by set scores of 25-23, 25-16, and 25-22. The Saints held an advantage in nearly every statistical category, leading Cumberland in kills (37-27), hitting percentage (.232-.099), assists (33-22), service aces (5-3), and digs (28-24). Cumberland managed to barely beat out Aquinas in blocks by a total of six to four.
Julian Armendano had an incredible match to start the year, racking up 18 kills in just three sets for a whopping .577 hitting percentage.
Joshua Boothroyd was second on the team in kills, totaling six over the three sets. Boothroyd also added a solo block in the winning effort over the Phoenix.
Matthew Richmond was the team leader in assists with 25.
Kelsey Yogi had a very solid game as the libero, totaling six assists, two aces, and seven digs.
In the second match of the day at 7:00 PM, the match was a back-and-forth battle before AQ was able to pull off a run in the fifth set. Aquinas won the first set by a score of 25-15. After another dominant start, it looked like Aquinas might pull off another fast victory. However, the Tigers rallied back in the second set, winning 25-20 to bring the match score level at one a piece. The Saints would barely squeak out a win in the third set, topping Olivet Nazarene 25-22 for a 2-1 match lead. Olivet would rally again, winning the fourth set by a score of 25-20 to bring the match to the fifth and final set. Olivet was unable to rally for a third time, giving the (RV) Saints their second win of the season.
Aquinas held a slight statistical advantage over the Tigers in most categories, leading in kills (53-51), hitting percentage (.214-.178), assists (50-48), and aces (11-4). The Tigers had more digs (43-35) and blocks (12.5-11.5).
Armendano lead the team in kills for the second straight match, totaling 19 (.359) for a 37-kill total over the two matches. Not only was Armendano the team-leader in kills, but he also contributed four assists, two aces, and five digs to the winning effort. Boothroyd was, again, second on the team in kills, adding 13 (.321) to the match total. He also added two aces, three digs, and two block assists.
Robert Valerio also hit double-digits on kills, adding 10 kills (.364) to the victorious effort. Not only was Valerio successful offensively, but he was also good defensively, tallying five block assists and a pair of digs.
Richmond did a little bit of everything as the setter, totaling 35 assists, a kill, five digs, and four block assists.
Aquinas will be back in action tomorrow (Jan. 15) to wrap up their tournament at Mol Arena. The Saints will have a match against Judson at 1:00 PM and Adrian at 5:00 PM.
